ft*, 


COUNCILS   OF   CRCESUS 


Page  s   Commonwealth   Series 

J  ITERA  R  Y  growth  in  A  merica  has  been  of  late 
•*—'  years  as  rapid  as  its  material  and  economical 
progress.  The  vast  size  of  tlte  country,  the  climatic 
and  moral  conditions  of  its  different  parts,  and  the 
separate  political  and  social  elements,  have  all 
tended  to  create  distinct  tnethods  of  literary  expres 
sion  in  various  sections.  In  offering  from  time  to 
time  the  books  in  the  "  Commonwealth  Series,"  "we 
shall  select  a  novel  or  story  descriptive  of  the  methods 
of  thought  and  life  of  that  particular  section  of  the 
country  which  each  author  represents.  The  elegance 
of  paper,  press-work,  and  binding,  and  the  lavish 
and  artistic  illustrations,  as  well  as  the  convenient 
size,  add  not  a  little  to  the  attractiveness  of  the 
volumes. 

Each  I  vol.,  large  ibmo,  cloth,  gilt  top, 
profusely  illustrated,  f>f.2j 

9 

No.  I.    (Massachusetts) 

HER  BOSTON  EXPERIENCES.  By  Anna 
Farquhar  (Margaret  A  listen) 

No.  2.     (Virginia) 

A    SUNNY   SOUTHERNER.      By  Julia  Ma- 
gruder,  author  of  "  A   Magnificent  Plebeian," 
The  Princess  Sonia,"  etc. 

No.  3.     (Maine'} 

'LI  A  S'S  WIFE.  By  Martha  Baker  Dunn,  author 
of  "Memory  Street,"  etc. 

No.  4.     (District  of  Columbia} 

HER  WASHINGTON  EXPERIENCES.  By 
A  nna  Farquhar,  author  of  "  The  DeviVs 
Plough"  etc. 

No.  5.     (Illinois) 

THE  RUS  SELLS  IN  CHICAGO.  By  Emily 
Wheaton. 

No   6.     (New  York) 

COUNCILS  OF  CRCESUS.  By  Mary  Knight 
Potter,  author  of  "  Love  in  Art,"  etc. 


L.  C.  PAGE  <V  COMPANY,  Publishers 
2OO  Summer  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 


LAURA    LORRAINE 


COUNCILS  OF 
CRCESUS^ 

By 

Mary  Knight    Potter 

Author  of 
"  Love  in  Art,"  "  The  Art  of  the  Vatican,"  etc. 

Illustrated  by 

W.   H.   Dunton 


BOSTON 

L.    C.    PAGE    &    COMPANY 
M  DCCCCI 1 1 


Copyright,  1902 

by 

L.   C.  Page  £r  Company 
(Incorporated) 

tf? 
All  rights  reserved 

»f* 
Published,  August,  1QO2 


Colonial  iPresa 

Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  C.  H.  Simonds  &  Co. 
Boston,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

LAURA  LORRAINE  .  .  .  Frontispiece 
" '  WE'RE  ALL  FOR  SALE,  MORE  OR  LESS  ' "  38 
"  <  I  NEVER  KNEW  UNTIL  THIS  FALL  HOW 

MUCH  LAURA  AND  I  OWE  YOU  ' "  .  79 
WASHINGTON  SQUARE  AND  ARCH  .  .  90 
"  '  YOU'D  BE  LOOKING  AT  ME  THE  WAY 

THAT  BOY  IS  AT  HER1"  .  .  .  104 
UNION  LEAGUE  CLUB  .  .  .  .112 
"  '  MY  ONE  AIM  IN  LIFE  ...  IS  TO  SEE 

LAURA  HAPPILY  MARRIED'"       .        .134 
CITY  HALL         ......     144 

BROAD  WALK,  CENTRAL  PARK  .  .151 
MADISON  SQUARE  GARDEN  .  .  .164 
" '  I  CAN'T  GO  HOME,  AUNT  HARRIET  !  I 

CAN'T'" 182 

THE  WALDORF-ASTORIA  .  .  .  .215 


COUNCILS  OF 
CRCESUS 


CHAPTER    I. 

IISS  ASPINWALL  stood  in 

M  the  middle  of  Mrs.  Lor- 
|aj  raine's  long  drawing-room, 

illilillil  surveying  it  with  unquali 
fied  disapproval. 

"  Taste,"  she  murmured,  "  is  akin  to 
greatness.  A  few  are  born  with  it;  a 
few  more  make  desperate  attempts  and 
acquire  a  sufficient  amount  for  parade; 
but  the  vast  majority  have  their  entire 
stock  thrust  upon  them  by  their  dress 
makers  and  upholsterers.  Here,"  she 
swept  a  withering  glance  about,  "  one 
might  suppose  a  circus  manager  and  a 
pawnbroker  to  be  the  only  ones  responsi 
ble  for  such  an  agglomeration." 

There  was  no  doubt  that  it  was  an 
amazing  apartment.  It  merited  the  dis- 
ii 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     H£ 

tinction  of  being  "  one  of  a  kind  "  even 
in  Greater  New  York.  In  spite  of  Miss 
Aspinwall's  strictures,  it  could  truthfully 
be  said  to  show  great  catholicity  of  taste. 
There  were  some  wonderful  old  tapestries 
on  the  walls  used  as  backgrounds  for 
sporting  prints;  an  elaborate  jinrikisha 
made  into  a  cabinet  was  wheeled  against  a 
Marie  Antoinette  inlaid  and  painted  piano; 
a  George  Inness  and  a  famous  Daubigny 
hung  over  a  farcical  Eastern  god;  low 
shelves  across  one  end,  filled  with  first 
folios  and  rare  sixteenth  century  editions, 
were  half  covered  up  by  a  huge  circular 
glass  case  within  which  was  a  stuffed 
monkey.  This  was  placed  so  that  it  was 
the  first  thing  one  saw  on  entering. 
Standing  there  with  a  ridiculous  soldier's 
cap  on  its  grinning  head  and  a  big  drum 
slung  about  its  neck,  it  seemed  about  to 
herald  every  one's  approach  with  a  double 
tattoo.  Privately  Miss  Aspinwall  half 
believed  that  the  late  Mr.  Lorraine's  spirit 
sometimes  took  possession  of  this  his  pet 
monkey,  and  she  often  had  an  uneasy  feel 
ing  that  the  glassy  eyes  were  turned  to  her 


with  a  very  much  alive  sardonic  glare. 
Eastern  embroideries,  Indian  trophies,  and 
Empire  silver,  everything  and  anything 
crowded  themselves  into  every  available 
space  all  over  the  room. 

"  Harriet  Aspinwall,"  came  a  voice  just 
then,  with  a  slight  drawl  in  its  clear  tones, 
"are  you  talking  to  the  furniture?" 

"  No,"  said  Miss  Aspinwall,  shortly, 
turning  to  shake  hands  with  her  hostess, 
"  not  to  it,  but  of  it.  For  Heaven's  sake, 
Helen,  why  don't  you  get  rid  of  this  stuff 
and  give  the  room  a  chance  to  breathe,  — 
not  to  mention  the  people  who  have  to 
come  into  it  ?  " 

"  Most  of  these  latter,"  agreed  Mrs. 
Lorraine,  cheerfully,  "  certainly  aren't 
worth  mentioning.  What's  the  matter 
with  the  room,  Harriet?  "  She  sank  into 
a  puffed-up  armchair  of  lavender  and  gold, 
and  looked  at  her  visitor  with  a  subdued 
sparkle  in  her  blue  eyes. 

Miss  Aspinwall  sat  down  on  the  edge 

of  a  three-cornered  teakwood  affair,  and 

slowly  undid  her  big  gray  feather  boa, 

while  she  studied  the  woman  opposite.    It 

13 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     HS- 

is  never  safe  to  say  that  any  individual 
is  the  most  beautiful  woman  in  New 
York.  There  is  always  another,  at  the 
very  next  corner,  likely  enough,  with  good 
right  to  dispute  the  title.  Miss  Aspinwall 
had  better  reasons  than  most  for  knowing 
this.  Yet  now,  as  so  often  before  when 
looking  at  Helen  Lorraine,  she  thought  it 
with  full  conviction.  What  she  said, 
however,  was  quite  different. 

"  Matter  with  the  room !  "  she  scolded. 
"  Just  because  you  flatter  yourself  that  it 
is  of  no  consequence  what  kind  of  a 
background  you  have,  is  it  any  reason 
for  inflicting  such  a  medley  as  this  on 
the  public?" 

"  But  the  public  doesn't  come  here," 
drawled  Mrs.  Lorraine,  much  amused. 

"  All  of  it  does  that  can  get  a  card  by 
hook  or  crook,"  retorted  Miss  Aspinwall, 
"  and  those  who  can't,  read  about  it  in 
the  society  columns  of  the  Sunday  paper. 
The  pernicious  influence  of  a  room  like 
this,"  she  swept  her  arm  about  dramati 
cally,  "  is  beyond  calculation." 

"  Dear  me!  "  Mrs.  Lorraine  opened  her 
14 


^     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ^ 

eyes  in  horror.  "  Are  you  getting  ready 
to  go  on  the  stump,  Harriet?" 

Miss  Aspinwall  suddenly  collapsed.  A 
certain  society  journal  had  once  spoken  of 
her  as  "  that  strong-minded  rough-rider 
over  the  conventions  of  her  class,"  and 
she  had  never  quite  got  over  it. 

"  Helen,"  she  said,  weakly,  "  I  give 
in.  Only,"  she  shook  her  head  reproach 
fully  at  her  friend,  "  I  really  can't  under 
stand  it.  You  always  professed  to  hate 
this  bric-a-brac  shop  when  Dick  was  alive. 
And  yet  now,  two  years  after  his  death, 
there's  not  a  thing  changed." 

Mrs.  Lorraine's  light  amusement  had 
faded  from  her  face.  She  looked  at  Miss 
Aspinwall  almost  pleadingly.  "  But  two 
years  are  a  very  short  time,"  she  said. 

The  other  woman  observed  her  curi 
ously.  "  I  never  did  understand  you, 
Helen.  I  am  not  likely  to  begin  now." 

"  Oh !  "  The  young  widow  threw  up 
her  head  with  a  quick  gasp.  Then, 
suddenly,  \\ithout  a  word  of  warning, 
she  dropped  on  the  floor  beside  Miss 
Aspinwall.  "  Harriet,"  she  scarcely  whis- 


$H      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

pered,  "can't  you  see?  Two  years  of 
freedom  after  seventeen  with  him !  Isn't 
that  very  short?  I  have  hardly  come  to 
realise  it  yet!  That's  the  reason  I  keep 
these  rooms  this  way.  They  are  so  full 
of  him?  Every  day  I  look  about  and  say 
to  myself,  '  He  isn't  here !  He  can't  come 
back !  He  who  polluted  everything  within 
his  reach  can  never  ruin  anything  for  me 
again.'  I  had  to  keep  saying  it  over  to 
make  myself  sure  of  it.  For  months  after 
he  died  I  had  a  deadly  terror  that  some 
how  it  was  all  a  dream,  —  that  he  wasn't 
dead.  I  used  to  shudder  at  each  heavy 
step.  It  seemed  as  if  he  must  come  back. 
Even  if  he  were  dead,  I  almost  believed 
the  devil  couldn't  keep  him  until  he  had 
come  to  drag  me  with  him.  I  believe, 
Harriet,  that  the  only  thing  that  kept  me 
sane  those  months,  was  these  rooms.  The 
knowledge  that  any  day  I  could  scrape  this 
whole  place  clean,  was  what  proved  my 
real  freedom.  I  don't  know  if  you  can 
understand  it,  but  I  seemed  to  need  this 
actual,  haunting  sign  of  his  presence  to 
make  me  sure  that  he  was  gone  for  ever." 
16 


^H     COUNCILS   OF   CRCESUS     HS- 

"  My  poor  dear !  "  There  were  very 
few  people  who  had  ever  seen  the  expres 
sion  that  was  on  Harriet  Aspinwall's  face. 
Almost  as  few  as  would  have  recognised 
the  clinging  figure  within  her  arms  as 
Helen  Lorraine.  "  My  poor  dear !  Was  it 
so  bad  as  that?  Even  I  didn't  suspect  it 
was  quite  so  frightful.  For  the  sake  of 
old  times,  Helen,  in  memory  at  least  of 
that  one  time  fifteen  years  ago,  you  might 
have  let  me  try  to  help  you." 

"  What  could  you  do  ?  What  could  any 
one  do?"  There  was  only  great  apathy 
in  the  low  voice. 

"  Do !  "  Miss  Aspinwall  regained  some 
of  her  habitual  decisiveness.  "  Help  you 
to  get  a  divorce,  of  course,  years  ago.  I 
can't  understand  why  you  didn't." 

Mrs.  Lorraine  sat  up  straight,  undis 
guised  horror  in  her  face.  "  And  have 
my  degradation  hooted  about  the  streets 
as  common  property?  Have  every  man 
and  woman  I  met  looking  at  me  with 
mingled  pity  and  disgust  that  a  woman 
could  stand  what  I  did  and  yet  live?  I 
tell  you  I  used  sometimes  to  think  I  must 
17 


be  common  and  hard  myself  or  I  should 
have  died.  No,  no !  Even  he  understood 
me  better  than  that.  He  knew  well 
enough  I'd  never  go  to  the  courts  for 
reparation."  She  laughed  bitterly,  and 
attempted  to  rise. 

Miss  Aspinwall's  arms  held  her  back. 
"  Keep  still,  Helen.  We  don't  often  in 
dulge  in  such  excesses.  It's  fifteen  years, 
en  my  part.  I'd  most  forgotten  we  origi 
nally  were  something  besides  automatons. 
I  suppose,"  she  went  on,  musingly,  "  I 
might  have  realised  the  whole  thing.  You 
were  just  that  way  as  a  girl.  You  always 
had  the  strongest  will  of  any  of  us.  I 
almost  never  knew  you  to  fail  in  anything 
you  undertook.  But  if  you  did,  it  was 
simply  because  you  couldn't  succeed  with 
out  a  fuss.  And  a  fuss  you  hated  worse 
even  than  failure.  Then,  if  by  any  chance 
you  didn't  get  what  you  wanted,  no  one 
knew  that,  either.  They  thought  you'd 
simply  changed  your  mind  and  preferred 
what  came.  It  is  no  wonder  that  though 
I  knew  your  great  show  of  content  was 
outrageous  sham,  yet  even  I  didn't  guess 
18 


-SH     COUNCILS    OF   CRCESUS     ^ 

how  bad  things  were."  She  held  her 
friend  still  closer,  and  kissed  her  remorse 
fully. 

"  I'm  glad  you  didn't.  I  couldn't  have 
stood  one  bit  more  sympathy  than  you 
gave.  I  had  got  to  keep  every  rag  of  pre 
tence  about  me  that  I  could  find,  or  I 
should  have  been  stark  naked  before  a 
gaping  world."  She  shuddered  and  then 
wrenched  herself  free,  and  stood  tall  and 
stately,  her  golden  head  high,  a  disdain 
fully  amused  smile  on  her  lips.  "  What 
did  you  say  about  being  automatons, 
Harriet?  We're  forgetting  we  are  only 
cogs  and  wheels  and  sawdust." 

"  Which,"  rejoined  Miss  Aspinwall, 
"  is  a  dangerous  state.  If  one  got  into 
the  way  of  forgetting,  it  would  be  worse 
than  the  morphine  habit.  The  Spartans," 
she  went  on,  with  asperity,  "  have  always 
had  too  much  credit  for  their  toughening 
system.  Modern  society  has  receipts  for 
callousness  that  those  old  heathens  never 
thought  of  formulating." 

"  A  very  good  thing,  too,  for  society," 
said  Mrs.  Lorraine.  "  There  are  few 


•*H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

enough  barricades  between  me  and  my 
neighbours'  woes,  as  it  is." 

"Neighbours!"  sniffed  Miss  Aspin- 
wall.  "  We  don't  have  neighbours  any 
more.  They  disappeared  when  apartment 
houses  began  huddling  forty  families 
under  one  roof.  Which  reminds  me  of 
my  errand  here.  I'm  going  to  be  at  the 
Oakes  for  awhile  longer.  Weather's  too 
glorious  to  be  cooped  up  in  these  prison 
streets  yet  awhile.  Won't  you  and  Laura 
come  down  Monday  for  a  few  days?  " 

"  Awfully  sorry,  but  the  fact  is,"  Mrs. 
Lorraine  coloured  a  trifle,  "I've  ordered 
the  men  for  next  week  to  pull  these  rooms 
to  pieces.  I've  got  to  be  on  hand,  to  be 
sure  "  —  she  hesitated  a  moment  —  "to 
be  sure  the  result  won't  even  suggest  them 
as  they  are  now.  And  if  things  are  not 
hurried  up  they  may  not  be  ready  for 
Laura's  debut." 

Miss  Aspinwall  said,  "  Thank  the 
Lord,"  under  her  breath,  and  shot  a  look 
of  triumph  at  the  stuffed  monkey.  "  Let 
Laura  come  without  you,"  was  what  she 
said  aloud. 

20 


^H      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     HS- 

"  I  don't  know,"  Mrs.  Lorraine  replied, 
doubtfully.  "  Whom  are  you  to  have 
there?  Some  of  your  disreputable  artist 
hangers-on  or  Tom  Dinsmore's  sporting 
set?  I  don't  care  about  Laura's  coming 
into  such  close  contact  with  either,  when 
I'm  not  'round." 

Miss  Aspinwall  laughed  without  resent 
ment.  "  Tom's  to  be  there.  But  I  stipu 
lated  that  he  was  to  come  alone.  And, 
unfortunately  for  me,  none  of  my  '  artist 
hangers-on  '  are  invited,  either.  They  are 
all  quite  as  conventional  a  crowd  as  you 
could  desire  even  for  Laura."  She  bowed 
mockingly.  "  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tileston  and 
Amy;  Arthur  Upton  and  his  sister  Jean- 
nette;  he'll  take  care  of  Amy;  and  then 
I've  asked  Frank  Barrett  because  he's 
head  over  heels  in  love  with  Jeannette, 
and  the  Uptons  want  her  to  see  enough  of 
him  to  get  used  to  the  idea.  That's  all, 
except  of  course  Aunt  Harmon,  and  ex 
cept  also,"  she  looked  at  Helen  out  of 
the  corner  of  her  eye,  "  Sir  Robert  Martin 
mas." 

"  Sir  Robert  Martinmas !  "    Mrs.  Lor- 

21 


•SH      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      $& 

raine  turned  quickly.  "  You  mean  the 
Sir  Robert  whom  we  met  at  the  Duns- 
combes  in  London?  The  Englishman 
who  has  too  much  money  to  be  looking  for 
an  American  wife?" 

"  And  who  is  quite  without  a  question 
able  past?  And  who  really  has  brains  to 
back  up  his  money?  And  who's  been 
dangled  for  by  every  enterprising  mamma 
in  English  society  for  the  last  ten  years? 
Quite  so,  Mrs.  Lorraine.  Don't  you  think 
Laura  had  better  go,  or  would  you  like 
to  be  there  yourself  without  her?  "  Miss 
Aspinwall  positively  winked  at  her  host 
ess. 

"  Don't  be  vulgar,  Harriet.  What  has 
he  come  over  for,  and  how  long  is  he 
going  to  stay?  " 

"  Undoubtedly  he  would  have  confided 
all  his  reasons  to  my  sympathising  self," 
said  Miss  Aspinwall,  airily,  "  but  Mar 
garet  Taft  seemed  to  think  it  unsafe  to 
leave  us  alone  for  longer  than  fifteen 
minutes;  and  by  that  time  we  hadn't 
got  far.  He'd  only  told  me  that  he  was 
delighted  to  be  here  and  to  see  so  many 


American  friends,  and  that  he  was  after 
data  for  his  book  on  the  future  of  the 
negro,  and  that  he  expected  to  stay  for 
four  or  five  months,  mostly  in  New  York, 
and  he'd  be  delighted  to  come  to  the 
Oakes,  and  somehow,  in  spite  of  my  inde 
pendence,  I  always  made  him  think  of  an 
Englishwoman.  That  was  about  all,"  she 
finished,  solemnly. 

"Really?"  Mrs.  Lorraine  studied 
Harriet  in  open  scorn.  "  I  can't  under 
stand  how  you  extracted  so  little  in  fifteen 
minutes." 

"  Extracted  ?  My  dear  girl,  I  didn't 
have  to  extract.  He  was  fairly  brimming 
over  in  his  hurry  to  pour  out  his  facts. 
And  there  was  one  thing  more.  He 
inquired  most  ponderously  for  you  and 
Laura,  and  announced  his  intention  of 
honouring  New  York  with  most  of  his 
presence  only  after  he  found  out  you  were 
to  be  here  this  winter.  I  can  positively 
affirm  that  those  heavy  lids  of  his  actually 
lifted  a  quarter  of  an  inch  when  he  made 
the  statement."  Miss  Aspinwall  did  not 
try  to  hide  her  glee. 

23 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      -SH 

"  If,"  said  Mrs.  Lorraine,  with  biting 
emphasis,  "  if  you  would  give  up  paint 
ing  dowagers  and  infants,  and  devote 
your  talents  to  lurid  journalism,  you 
wouldn't  have  a  rival  in  the  field." 

"  I  have  often  thought,"  nodded  Miss 
Aspinwall,  "  that  I  might  have  reached 
heights  in  literature  beyond  my  possibili 
ties  with  the  brush." 

"  You  reach  heights  in  insolence,  at 
least,"  retorted  Mrs.  Lorraine.  "  You 
are  not  at  all  a  proper  person  to  chaperone 
Laura.  I  ought  not  to  let  her  go,  of 
course.  But  if  your  aunt  is  to  be  there, 
-  and  —  " 

"  And  Sir  Robert  Martinmas,"  mur 
mured  Miss  Aspinwall. 

"  And  if,"  went  on  Mrs.  Lorraine,  un 
disturbed,  "  you  will  p/omise  to  look  after 
the  child  as  I  should,  —  why,  if  she'd 
like  to  go,  —  it  will  be  so  dull  for  her 
here  with  all  this  tearing  up,  that  - 

"  I'll  expect  her  on  the  three  o'clock 

train  Monday,"  finished  Miss  Aspinwall. 

"  And  I'll  do  my  best  to  take  your  place 

and  gently  guide  Sir  Robert's  feet  into 

24 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H3- 

the  path  awaiting  him."  With  which, 
before  her  friend  could  make  any  further 
exceptions,  she  was  out  of  the  hall  and 
into  her  carriage. 

Mrs.  Lorraine  walked  to  the  window 
and  watched  the  disappearing  brougham. 
"  Harriet,"  she  thought,  with  some  irri 
tation,  "  is  a  little  trying  at  times."  As 
she  turned  from  the  window  a  tall,  slight 
girl  came  up  the  steps,  and  a  moment  later 
Laura  Lorraine  stood  at  the  drawing- 
room  door  smiling  placidly  at  her  mother. 
That  lady  looked  at  her  admiringly,  and 
then  she  frowned  ever  so  slightly. 

"  I  never  can  get  used  to  seeing  you 
grown  up,  Laura.  What  did  you  do  it 
for,  so  soon?  " 

The  girl  laughed  softly  and  pulled  her 
mother  into  the  big  lavender  chair,  while 
she  knelt  beside  her.  "  It's  a  shame, 
mother.  You  oughtn't  to  have  a  daughter 
one  bit  older  than  ten  instead  of  eighteen. 
I  wish  I  were  ten,  too,"  she  added,  wist 
fully.  "  It's  awfully  stupid,  being  grown 
up." 

"  If  you  only  wouldn't  think  so  you'd 
25 


SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

look  about  ten  years  younger,"  answered 
Mrs.  Lorraine,  reproachfully.  "  With 
your  forehead  wrinkled  up  like  that  you 
might  be  twenty-eight  instead  of  eighteen. 
And  then,"  gazing  down  at  her  with  a 
comical  smile  of  dismay,  "  how  old  will 
they  call  me  ?  " 

Laura  kneaded  her  forehead  with  her 
gloved  finger  tips  conscientiously,  and 
looked  more  serious  than  ever. 

Mrs.  Lorraine  examined  the  gentle, 
grave  face  with  its  deep  gray  eyes  in 
some  perplexity,  and  then  she  broke  into 
a  light  laugh.  "  Never  mind,  baby,  you'll 
think  differently  before  the  end  of  the 
season.  I've  something  nice  to  tell  you 
this  very  minute.  You're  invited  to  the 
Oakes  for  a  week." 

Laura's  eyes  brightened.  "  At  Aunt 
Harriet's  ?  How  lovely !  When  do  we 
go?" 

"  We  aren't  going.  It's  only  you.  It 
will  be  a  sort  of  trial  dose  of  freedom  for 
you  before  you  bowr  to  Mrs.  Grundy." 

The  girl's  face  was  wholly  sober  again. 
(i  I  sha'n't  know  what  to  do  without  you. 
26 


iH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

I'll  never  be  sure  whether  to  say  yes  or 
no.  You've  always  decided  everything 
for  me,  mother." 

Mrs.  Lorraine  patted  the  flushed  cheek. 
"  And  I  shall  probably  continue  to  decide 
when  it's  anything  important,  goosie. 
Now,  though,  you  need  just  such  a  chance 
to  get  a  little  independence  into  that  obedi 
ent  head  of  yours." 

Laura  sighed  abjectly,  and  then  an  un 
expected  twinkle  came  into  her  big  eyes. 
"  If  I  get  too  much,  mother,  maybe  you 
won't  like  it !  " 


COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS 


CHAPTER    II. 


afternoon,   just   as 

M  Laura  was  ready  to  drive  to 
:c  the  station,  Mrs.  Lorraine 
received  the  following  char 
acteristic  telegram  from  Miss  Aspinwall  : 
"  The  lasso  didn't  hold,  after  all.  Prey 
escaped  at  the  last  minute.  Have  invited 
Weathersby  instead.  Considered  him 
harmless." 

Mrs.  Lorraine  frowned  and  then 
laughed.  Perhaps  it  was  just  as  well. 
She  really  knew  very  little  about  Sir  Rob 
ert  Martinmas.  It  was  better  for  Laura 
to  meet  him  under  her  own  guidance. 
As  for  Weathersby  —  well,  Harriet  had 
shown  sense  for  once.  There  was  noth 
ing  about  Harriet's  elderly  Uncle  John 
Weathersby  to  make  her  uneasy. 

Laura  herself  was  much  pleased  with 

the  change.     "  Uncle  John  "  was  an  old 

friend,  and  she  was  immensely  relieved 

that  the  Englishman,  whom  she  privately 

28 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

considered  rather  a  bore,  was  not  to  be 
there. 

When  the  train  puffed  alongside  the 
mimic  Swiss  chalet  station  at  Cogge- 
shall,  Miss  Aspinwall  was  there  in  her 
dog-cart,  skilfully  soothing  a  nervous  pair 
of  bays. 

"  How  do,"  she  called,  gaily,  to  Laura. 
"  Give  your  checks  to  Michael,  and  jump 
in  quick." 

As  the  girl  got  up  beside  her,  the  pair 
sprang  into  the  road  at  the  right  almost 
at  a  bound. 

"  If  these  animals  were  such  fools  about 
anything  but  trains  and  engines,  I'd  get 
rid  of  them  to-morrow.  There,  there, 
Patsy,"  she  said,  reassuringly,  to  the  off 
horse,  whose  flanks  were  still  shaking,  and 
whose  eyes  were  red  with  fright,  "  we 
sha'n't  see  another  train  to-day.  Behave 
yourself."  The  parting  shriek  of  the 
engine  almost  put  Patsy  into  a  spasm. 

At  last,  having  succeeded  in  quieting 

them    into    a    steady,    smooth    gait,    she 

leaned  over  and  gave  Laura  a  light  kiss. 

"  You're    looking    amazingly    well,    my 

29 


3%     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      NT 

dear,"  she  said;  "  this  air  has  turned  your 
cheeks  into  summer  roses.  It's  a  great 
pity  Sir  Robert  isn't  to  be  here  to  see." 
She  gazed  quizzically  at  the  lovely  face 
with  its  fine  mouth  and  chin. 

"  Now,  Aunt  Harriet,"  Laura  nestled 
closer  beside  her,  "  you  know  it  isn't  a  pity 
at  all.  He  nearly  scared  me  to  pieces  in 
London,  and  I'm  sure  he'd  never  think  of 
me  except  as  an  utter  infant.  Uncle  John 
is  much  better.  We  have  beautiful  times 
together.  He's  nice  and  jolly  and  does 
everything  I  ask  him  to.  He's  so  old, 
you  see,  that  he  doesn't  have  to  pretend  to 
be  young,  —  which  is  more  than  Sir 
Robert  has  sense  for." 

"  Both  gentlemen,"  said  Miss  Aspin- 
wall,  smiling  widely,  "  would  be  highly 
delighted  at  your  discrimination.  Poor 
Uncle  John,  who  flatters  himself  that  his 
sixty-five  years  are  no  more  than  two 
score  and  ten !  As  for  Sir  Robert !  Child 
alive!  He's  only  your  mother's  age." 

"  Then  he  is  quite  old  enough  to  be  my 
father,"  answered  Laura,  coolly,  "  and  any 


3° 


-SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ^ 

way,  he's  too  old  to  be  collecting  postage 
stamps  and  birds'  eggs." 

"  My  dear!  "  Miss  Aspinwall  chuckled 
openly.  "  He  has  a  stamp  collection 
worth  thousands,  and  he's  one  of  Eng 
land's  noted  ornithologists." 

"  Then  I  am  sure  he's  really  older  than 
Uncle  John,"  said  Laura.  "  What  amuse 
ment  could  he  find  with  me,  do  you  sup 
pose?  I'm  not  a  stamp  nor  a  bird." 

"  I  don't  know,"  •  Miss  Aspinwall 
laughed.  "  Sir  Robert  might  think  you 
were  a  very  sweet  little  birdie,  indeed! 
He'd  have  very  bad  taste  if  he  didn't." 

"  Aunt  Harriet !  "  The  girl  sat  up  very 
stiff  and  held  her  proud  young  head  high. 
"  Just  because  I'm  eighteen  and  have  got 
to  be  pushed  out  into  society  so  soon,  is 
that  any  reason  why  every  man  I  meet 
should  be  thought  of  as  a  husband  for  me  ? 
If  I  were  a  man,"  she  added,  with  deep 
indignation,  "  I'd  never  go  near  a  girl 
till  she'd  been  out  so  long  that  both  she 
and  her  relatives  had  stopped  trying  to 
bait  every  eligible  party."  Her  young 
voice  rang  out  clear  and  defiant.  "  I  feel 
31 


-SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

like  telling  any  new  man  I  meet  that  he 
needn't  worry,  I'm  not  trying  to  capture 
him.  On  the  contrary,  I'll  be  only  too 
glad  if  he'll  let  me  alone." 

"  My,  my,  Laura !  "  Miss  Aspinwall's 
tone  mocked,  but  there  was  a  very  differ 
ent  gleam  in  her  smiling  eyes.  "  Don't 
say  those  things  so  loud.  There  might  be 
a  man  right  in  those  trees."  She  waved 
her  whip  toward  the  shivering  white 
birches  bunched  together  along  the  road 
side.  "  You  mustn't  run  such  risks  — 
before  your  career  has  even  begun !  You 
know  you  don't  mean  it,  either.  Just 
suppose  you  should  be  left  to  flourish 
alone,  till  you  were  a  shrivelled-up  old 
maid  like  me!  " 

Laura  laughed,  and  looked  at  her 
"  Aunt  "  Harriet  with  boundless  admira 
tion.  "  You  shrivelled  up  and  old ! 
You're  younger  than  mother,  and  you  are 
about  as  shrivelled  up  as  —  as  —  Here 
a  turn  of  the  road  brought  them  danger 
ously  close  to  the  track  again,  and  the 
distant  toot  of  a  locomotive  sent  Patsy 
into  a  dance  on  his  hind  legs.  ''  Just 
32 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

about  as  shrivelled  up  as  Patsy  here,"  con 
tinued  Laura,  when  she  could  get  her 
breath.  "  Moreover,"  she  gave  a  sidelong 
glance  at  the  alert,  well-poised  figure  be 
side  her,  "  moreover,  you  don't  need  to  be 
an  old  maid  a  minute  longer  than  you 
want  to !  " 

"  Mercy,  child !  "  Miss  Aspinwall  lifted 
her  eyebrows.  "  I  haven't  heard  so  many 
compliments  since  I  was  twenty." 

Just  at  this  point,  with  a  sudden  sharp 
turn,  she  wheeled  the  pair  through  a  big 
iron  and  brick  gateway. 

"  Oh,"  cried  Laura,  in  delight,  "  how 
fascinating!  " 

They  had  rolled  into  a  roadway  that 
wound  itself  into  the  very  heart  of  a  thick 
pine  grove.  Tall,  straight,  and  slender, 
the  trunks  stretched  up  till  they  vanished 
among  the  high,  feather-laden  branches 
that  formed  a  tremulous,  palpitating  roof 
above  their  heads.  The  wind,  soughing 
through  the  canopy  of  soft  long  needles, 
made  ever  changing  cracks  through  which 
the  sun  shone  in  splintering  rays  up  and 
down  the  trunks,  till  their  bare,  lower 
33 


-SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

branches  fairly  pricked  the  surrounding 
gloom  with  sharp,  scintillating  points  of 
light.  The  air  was  full  of  floating,  golden 
needles  that,  soft  as  snowflakes,  seemed 
merely  breathing  themselves  down,  down 
on  to  the  red-cushioned  ground  beneath. 
Suddenly,  through  the  mazes  of  the 
trunks,  a  streak  of  vivid  blue  flashed  in 
and  out.  Then,  almost  with  no  further 
warning,  the  little  forest  came  to  an  end  in 
a  wide,  rocky,  weed-grown  field.  Here  the 
greens  had  changed  from  gold  and  reds  to 
soft  silver  shades  that  still  showed  warmer 
glints  in  a  trailing  red-leaved  blackberry 
vine  or  half-dried  goldenrod.  And  there, 
beyond,  was  the  deep  blue  of  the  Sound, 
cutting  its  own  horizon  line  against  the 
grayer  sky.  One's  eyes  instinctively  went 
straight  to  this  boundary,  so  that  the  long, 
rambling  house  slightly  at  the  left,  and 
half-way  between  the  grove  and  the  sea, 
was  at  first  unobserved. 

"  I  planned  it  that  way  on  purpose," 

explained   Miss  Aspinwall,   showing  the 

pleasure  of  a  planner  at  having  her  intents 

appreciated.    "  If  you  saw  it  the  moment 

34 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

you  got  out  of  the  woods,  you'd  never 
half  look  at  it  because  of  the  Sound 
behind.  It  stands  some  chance  now  that 
you  don't  notice  it  till  you've  had  your 
first  paroxysm  over  Father  Ocean." 

The  house  was  built  of  rough  gray 
stone.  Its  long,  low  central  part  termi 
nated  at  one  end  in  a  rather  heavy  two- 
storied,  irregularly  angled  pile,  and  at 
the  other  became  a  jumble  of  turrets  and 
balconies  about  a  big,  mediaeval-looking 
tower. 

"  The  others  aren't  coming  till  to 
night,"  said  Miss  Aspinwall,  leading  the 
way  into  the  big  raftered  hall,  where  at 
one  side  gay  flames  were  dancing  among 
the  shadows  of  a  huge  brick  fireplace. 
"  Consequently,  when  you've  made  a  duti 
ful  call  on  Aunt  Harmon,  you  and  I  can 
have  the  afternoon  together." 

Aunt  Harmon  was  a  little  old  lady  who 
had  lived  with  her  niece  Harriet  for  nearly 
fifteen  years.  Because  of  the  way  this 
came  about,  Miss  Aspinwall  had  a  deep 
gratitude  and  affection  for  her.  Besides, 
the  little  body,  always  clad  in  heavy  black 
35 


COUNCILS    OF 


satin  that  fell  about  her  in  straight  full 
folds,  was  extremely  useful.  She  made 
a  most  excellent  chaperone,  and  she  always 
backed  up  everything  Miss  Aspinwall  said 
or  did  with  instant  and  unchangeable 
approbation.  There  were  those  who  said 
that  such  fulsome  acquiescence  was  the 
only  peaceable  way  of  getting  along 
with  Miss  Aspinwall.  Others,  however, 
claimed  that  Aunt  Harmon's  idolatry  was 
responsible  for  many  of  her  niece's 
peculiarities. 

Mrs.  Harmon  greeted  Laura  effusively. 
"  You've  grown  twice  as  pretty  as  your 
pretty  self  since  the  last  trip  abroad,  my 
dear.  I'm  delighted  we  are  to  see  a  bit 
of  you  before  you  get  so  hedged  about 
with  admirers  that  old  friends  will  have 
no  chance  at  all." 

"  Oh,  dear !  "  sighed  Laura  to  herself, 
"  I  wish  they  wouldn't."  And  she  escaped 
to  Miss  Aspinwall  in  the  studio  at  the 
top  of  the  to\ver.  Her  hostess,  swaddled 
in  a  voluminous  blue  apron,  was  busily 
squeezing  out  paint  on  to  a  huge  curving 
palette. 

36 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

"  Come  right  in,"  she  said,  as  Laura 
stood  looking  at  what  Miss  Aspinwall 
called  her  implements  of  torture.  "  It's 
a  shame  to  impose  on  you,  but  really, 
you've  got  to  let  me  make  a  dab  at  you. 
In  that  hat  you  are  altogether  too  fetching 
to  lose.  It'll  only  take  an  hour,"  she 
added,  catching  a  fleeting  look  of  regret 
that  the  girl  threw  out  of  the  window. 

"  You  see,"  she  went  on,  after  a  few 
minutes  spent  in  putting  Laura  into  a 
tall,  carved  chair,  and  hanging  a  strip  of 
warm  gray  velour  behind  her,  "  you  see, 
within  six  months  there  may  not  be  any 
of  this  present  Laura  Lorraine  left.  And 
your  mother  might  like  a  chance  to  com 
pare  you  then  with  yourself  now." 

"  There  it  is  again,"  said  Laura,  petu 
lantly.  "  Why  is  everything  to  be  so  dif 
ferent?  Why  am  I  suddenly  to  change 
so  completely?  Just  because  I  may  go  to 
more  dinners  and  dances  and  meet  more 
people,  why  does  that  alter  everything?" 

"  The  reason  is,"  said  Miss  Aspinwall, 
slapping  on  the  background  with  big  free 
strokes,  "  that  now  you  are  on  the  market. 
37 


$H     COUNCILS    OF   CRCESUS     HS- 

Which  means  that  there  is  a  price  upon 
your  head.  And  you  know  very  well  that 
a  person  under  such  conditions  cannot  be 
regarded  in  the  same  light  as  a  free  man." 

The  colour  deepened  and  flooded 
Laura's  cheeks  and  forehead,  and  then 
receded  and  left  her  piteously  pale. 

"  Goodness,  child !  "  exclaimed  Miss 
Aspinwall,  in  a  businesslike  way.  "  If 
you're  going  to  undergo  such  lightning 
changes  as  that,  just  give  me  warning." 

Laura  had  no  smile  for  the  sally.  "  Say 
you  didn't  mean  it,"  she  begged,  very 
low.  "  Say  I'm  not  for  sale." 

Miss  Aspinwall  stepped  off  a  few  feet 
and  looked  at  her  canvas  with  tipped  head 
and  squinting  eyes. 

"  My  dear,"  her  tone  was  elaborately 
indifferent,  "  we're  all  for  sale,  more  or 
less.  It's  only  the  freshness  of  the  article 
that  we  notice  in  a  debutante." 

"  But  I'm  not,"  repeated  Laura,  "  I'm 
not  for  sale." 

Miss  Aspinwall's  eyes  were  compassion 
ate,  but  her  voice  was  as  cool  and  uncon 
cerned  as  at  first.  "  Not  for  mere  money, 
38 


"'WE'RE  ALL  FOP  SALE,  MORE  OR  LESS'" 


$H     COUNCILS   OF   CRCESUS      HS- 

child,  of  course.  It  will  take  more  than 
that  to  buy  your  mother's  claim  on  you." 

"  Mother !  "  Laura's  face  cleared. 
"  She'd  never  make  me  marry  any  one  I 
didn't  want  to." 

"  But  you  most  certainly  would  want 
to  marry  the  irreproachable  individual 
she  sanctions,"  laughed  Miss  Aspinwall. 

"  Perhaps  I  mightn't,  either,"  said 
Laura,  with  a  hint  of  stubbornness. 

"  Then,  my  dear,"  the  painter  drew  the 
soft  red  mouth  with  one  sure,  careful 
stroke,  "  then  you  must  be  able  to  do 
battle  for  your  opinion.  Did  you  ever' 
get  your  own  way  when  your  mother  had 
a  different  way  for  you?  "  she  asked,  with 
a  wicked  twinkle.  She  knew  perfectly 
well  that  Mrs.  Lorraine's  word  was  law 
and  gospel  to  her  daughter.  As  the  girl 
flushed  and  looked  down,  she  felt  some 
thing  of  compunction.  "  I  never  did,  any 
way,"  she  interjected,  quietly.  "  The  only 
consolation  is,  that,  as  a  rule,  your 
mother's  way  is  rather  better  than  my 
own." 

But  Laura  hardly  noticed  her.  She 
39 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CROESUS      H£ 

was  staring  straight  ahead,  as  if  sud 
denly  she  saw  beyond  the  present.  "  I 
couldn't  battle  with  mother,  no  matter 
what  it  was.  I  should  have  to  do  as  she 
said." 

Miss  Aspinwall  shivered.  She  felt  as  if 
a  ghost  laid  low  fifteen  years  ago  had 
touched  her  with  its  clammy  hand.  "  Any 
one,"  she  said,  tensely,  "  can  fight,  must 
fight,  when  her  whole  life  is  threatened 
with  destruction."  Then  she  shook  herself 
impatiently.  "  Gracious,  child !  What 
nonsense!  There!  I  won't  keep  you 
prisoner  a  minute  longer.  Let's  explore 
the  Cove  before  it  gets  too  dark  and  cool." 
She  tore  off  her  apron,  turned  the  canvas 
face  against  the  wall,  and  grabbing  Laura 
by  the  waist,  waltzed  her  down  the  room 
cut  of  the  hall  on  to  the  stairs,  till  her 
uneasy,  haunted  look  had  wholly  vanished. 

There  was  nothing  to  make  it  come 
back  during  the  rest  of  the  days  at  the 
Oakes,  though  several  things  happened 
very  differently  from  what  Miss  Aspin 
wall  had  planned,  or  Mrs.  Lorraine  had 
sanctioned.  In  the  first  place,  neither 
40 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     ¥& 

Mr.  Weathersby  nor  Mr.  Dinsmore  came 
on  the  evening  train  with  the  others. 
More  unfortunately  still,  Miss  Aspinwall 
received  word  from  her  lawyers  urging 
her  presence  in  the  city  the  next  morning. 
As  it  was  in  relation  to  a  law  suit  that  had 
been  her  pet  hobby  for  two  years,  and  was 
now  nearing  a  triumphant  finish,  she  felt 
that  she  must  go.  This  was  one  of  the 
times  when  Aunt  Harmon's  usefulness 
shone  resplendent.  Miss  Aspinwall 
vowed  it  was  a  trick  of  fate  on  purpose 
to  show  Aunt  Harmon's  superiority  as  a 
hostess.  To  the  lady  herself  she  said, 
"  All  you  need,  Tante,  is  to  let  each  one 
do  as  he  or  she  wishes." 

Now,  she  ought  to  have  known  that  for 
Aunt  Harmon,  who  always  followed  her 
instructions  to  the  letter,  this  was  danger 
ous  counsel.  Miss  Aspinwall  had  hardly 
departed  before  a  telegram  came  from  Mr. 
Weathersby.  "  Arrive  to-day  three ; 
bringing  young  Wilton.  Wire  if  incon 
venient." 

"Of  course,"  said  hospitable  Aunt 
Harmon,  as  she  read  it  aloud,  "  it's  per- 
41 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

fectly  convenient,  and  Harriet  would  want 
John  to  do  as  he  pleased.  But  I  don't 
know  who  '  Young  Wilton  '  is." 

"  I  guess  nobody  else  does,  either,"  said 
Mrs.  Tileston,  who  was  curled  up  on  the 
settle  by  the  fireplace.  "  He's  a  young 
architect  from-Heaven  knows  what  back 
woods.  For  some  inscrutable  reason  he 
seems  to  get  invited  most  everywhere." 
To  do  Mrs.  Tileston  justice,  her  unpleas 
ant  tone  was  caused  more  by  certain  feel 
ings  of  present  discomfort  than  by  any 
animus  against  the  youth  under  discus 
sion.  The  seashore,  to  her  mind,  was  a 
distinctly  uncomfortable  place  at  this 
season  of  the  year.  She  came  only  be 
cause  her  husband  wanted  the  shooting, 
and  because  she  herself  hoped  that  the 
several  days'  close  companionship  would 
induce  Arthur  Upton  to  propose  to  Amy. 

It  was  Amy  who  replied  to  her  mother's 
objection.  "  Mr.  Van  Breen  told  me  that 
Mr.  Wilton  brought  extremely  compli 
mentary  letters  of  introduction  from  influ 
ential  people  abroad.  They  say  he  was 


42 


2%     COUNCILS    OF    CROESUS     ^ 

making  a  name  for  himself  in  London 
before  he  entered  the  Griswold  firm  here." 

"  He's  a  mighty  good  fellow,  too,"  put 
in  Arthur  Upton,  who  was  showing  Amy 
how  to  clean  a  gun. 

Mrs.  Tileston  looked  cross.  It  would 
have  pleased  her  better  if  Arthur  had  not 
agreed  so  amiably  with  Amy's  approval  of 
another  man.  "  Letters  of  introduction 
count  for  very  little,"  she  said,  coldly. 
"  He  certainly  is  of  no  family  or  we 
should  know  it.  And  just  as  certainly  he 
has  no  money  behind  him,  either." 

"  At  least  he  is  well-bred,  well-educated, 
good-looking,  and  with  friends  among  the 
best  people,"  retorted  Amy.  She  and  her 
mother  never  thought  alike  upon  any 
known  subject,  unless  it  was  in  their  esti 
mate  of  Arthur  Upton.  Even  there  Mrs. 
Tileston  felt  unsure  of  her. 

"  Moreover,"  added  Upton,  who  seemed 
bent  on  increasing  the  elder  woman's  dis 
comfort,  "  he's  a  good  shot,  a  first-rate 
horseman,  and  with  nothing  of  the  cad 
about  him."  He  looked  at  Amy  as  he 


43 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      MS 

said  it,  and  there  was  an  answering  gleam 
in  her  hazel  eyes. 

Mrs.  Tileston  pursed  up  her  lips  and 
concluded  wisdom  lay  in  silence. 

A  few  hours  later  the  subject  of  these 
remarks  \vas  being  hustled  by  Mr. 
Weathersby  into  the  Pullman  express  for 
Coggeshall.  Mr.  Weathersby  always 
"  hustled  "  when  he  had  anything  to  do 
with  trains,  and  it  wasn't  till  they  were 
fairly  seated  that  the  young  man  had  a 
chance  for  a  word. 

"  I  only  hope,"  he  ventured  at  last, 
"  that  Miss  Aspinwall  won't  consider  me  a 
rank  intruder." 

"  Intruder !  "  snorted  Mr.  Weathersby. 
;<  You're  my  guest,  aren't  you  ?  I  guess  I 
wasn't  going  down  to  that  God-forsaken 
place  with  no  one  to  go  shooting  with 
but  that  fool  of  a  Tileston.  Besides,  you 
needn't  worry!  Harriet  never  refused  a 
chance  to  have  another  man  around !  " 


44 


COUNCILS    OF    CROESUS      HS- 


CHAPTER    III. 

was  the  day  after,  and  Miss 
Aspinwall  was  still  detained 
in  town.  Mr.  Weathersby, 
Mr.  Tileston,  and  Jack  Wil 
ton  were  out  after  rabbits,  and  the  four 
young  people  had  driven  into  the  village, 
ostensibly  for  marshmallows  for  a  roast. 
Laura,  who  politely  declined  to  be  an 
unwelcome  fifth,  had  a  dim  idea  that  their 
chief  purpose  might  be  to  escape  the 
espionage  of  Mrs.  Tileston.  Nothing 
would  have  induced  that  lady  to  drive  out 
in  one  of  Miss  Aspinwall's  open  country 
wagons  at  that  season  of  the  year. 

Somewhat  disconsolately  Laura  watched 
her  sitting  huddled  over  the  fire  and  a 
French  novel. 

"  Last  year  at  this  time,"  she  thought, 
with  reminiscent  envy,  "  I  was  with  dear 
Madame  Rene  in  Paris.  And  if  there 
weren't  lessons,  there  were  hundreds  of 
interesting  things  to  do.  And  the  year 
45 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRGESUS     ^ 

before  there  was  Frau  von  Hagen  in 
Dresden.  Oh,  dear!  it's  stupid  to  be 
grown  up."  She  drummed  on  the 
window-pane  forlornly,  and  looked  out 
on  to  the  wide  stretch  of  beach  below. 
Suddenly  her  eyes  brightened. 

"Prince!  Prince!"  she  called,  throw 
ing  up  the  sash  and  whistling  sharply. 

"My  dear  child!"  Mrs.  Tileston's 
teeth  fairly  chattered.  "  Do  you  want  to 
turn  me  into  an  iceberg?" 

Laura  shut  the  window  hastily.  "  Ex 
cuse  me,"  she  said,  good-naturedly,  "  I 
haven't  seen  Aunt  Harriet's  Prince  since 
I  got  home  from  abroad.  And  he  remem 
bers  me,"  she  added,  gleefully.  "  I'm 
going  right  out  to  have  a  run  with  him." 

"  Prince,"  repeated  Mrs.  Tileston, 
vacuously,  "  oh,  you  mean  Harriet's  bull 
terrier.  Ugly  little  beast !  I  suppose  she 
called  him  Prince  because  he's  such  a 
hideous  brute."  With  which  dismissal  of 
the  subject  she  returned  to  her  book  and 
fire. 

Laura  wondered,  as  she  pulled  on  her 
coat,  if  Amy  at  middle  age  would  be  like 
46 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

her  mother.  She  had  a  vague  feeling  of 
pity  for  Mr.  Upton. 

Once  on  the  sand  with  Prince,  who  wel 
comed  her  with  excruciating  barks  and 
overpowering  capers,  she  forgot  all  her 
homesickness  and  dissatisfaction.  A  dog 
was  the  one  creature  who  could  make 
Laura  romp.  Mrs.  Lorraine  often  said 
in  despair  that  the  only  way  she  ever  real 
ised  that  Laura  was  not  over  forty  years 
old  was  to  watch  her  with  these  pets.  No 
matter  where  they  travelled  they  always 
took  with  them  from  one  to  three  dogs. 

"  They  are  an  awful  trouble  and  no 
end  of  expense,"  she  had  acknowledged 
to  Harriet  Aspinwall,  "  but  they  help  me 
to  feel  that  I  don't  have  to  be  sixty  to  be 
that  child's  mother." 

Miss  Aspinwall  never  quite  agreed  with 
her  friend  on  the  subject  of  Laura.  "  The 
child  is  quiet,  of  course,"  she  said.  "  And 
she  has  a  wise  way  with  her  that  I  call 
immensely  taking.  But  she's  less  versed 
in  the  ways  of  wickedness  than  most 
babes  of  six.  No  mortal  could  listen  to 


47 


m     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      m 

her  questions  and  think  she  had  travelled 
long  in  this  weary  world." 

"  Oh,  she's  innocent  enough,"  her 
mother  replied,  "  but  with  her  slow  seri 
ousness  she  might  be  seventy  instead  of 
seventeen." 

"  By  some  miracle  she's  escaped  the 
clutches  of  the  roaring,  scurrying,  end-of- 
the-century  devil,"  retorted  Miss  Aspin- 
wall.  "  No  other  young  girl  I  know  but 
acts  as  if  the  whole  world  was  a  grab- 
bag  for  her  to  snatch  what  she  can  before 
it's  some  one  else's  turn." 

The  truth  was  that  Laura  had  never 
been  to  school  in  her  life,  and  had  had 
very  little  association  with  children.  In 
their  frequent  and  prolonged  travels 
abroad  her  governesses  and  her  mother 
were  her  only  companions  for  months  at 
a  time.  One  result  of  this  was  that  her 
natural  calmness  and  seriousness  were 
greatly  intensified.  Another  was  her  un 
usual  attitude  toward  her  mother.  To 
Laura's  mind  Mrs.  Lorraine  was  the  most 
beautiful,  the  most  brilliant,  and  the  most 
adorable  of  women.  Her  respect  and 
48 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

implicit  belief  in  all  her  mother's  opinions 
were  not  untinged  with  awe.  She  early 
became  convinced  that  her  mother's  will 
was  of  unfathomable  strength.  This  feel 
ing  increased  rather  than  lessened,  until, 
at  eighteen,  it  never  occurred  to  her  to 
question  any  of  Mrs.  Lorraine's  plans  or 
demands.  Altogether,  Miss  Aspinwall 
was  not  far  wrong  when  she  said,  "  The 
only  real  trouble  with  the  child  is  her 
undeveloped  sense  of  humour.  And  that's 
your  own  fault.  You've  trained  her  to 
regard  you  as  a  patent,  unbreakable  god 
dess  on  the  goldest  of  gold  wheels.  How 
could  she  believe  that  and  have  any  sense 
of  the  ridiculous,  too?" 

As  Laura  raced  along  the  sands  that 
afternoon,  no  one  could  have  accused  her 
of  any  kind  of  staidness  or  solemnity. 

"  Here,  Prince,"  she  called,  after  they 
had  chased  each  other  up  and  down  the 
beach,  "  I'll  beat  you  to  the  woods." 

With  head  down  and  skirts  flying,  she 

started  for  the  pines  that  half  a  mile  back 

showed  dark  against  the  sky.    Prince  was 

yelping  at  her  heels  when,  after  a  breath- 

49 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

less  scramble  up  the  high  sand-bank,  they 
dashed  into  the  stubbly  field,  and  almost 
into  the  arms  of  Mr.  Jack  Wilton.  He 
had  been  as  unnoticing  as  she,  so  that 
now  they  both  jumped  back  as  sharply 
as  if  from  the  rebound  of  actual  collision. 

"  Oh !  "  panted  Laura,  as  she  swayed 
into  equilibrium. 

"  Oh !  "  repeated  Mr.  Wilton,  about  as 
helplessly,  though  instinctively  reaching 
out  his  arm  to  steady  her.  "  I  hope  I 
haven't  hurt  you." 

"  Oh,  no !  "  Laura  was  somewhat  un 
certain.  "I  —  I  —  ran  into  you.  I  didn't 
see  you  coming." 

"  Nor  I  you.  I  was  bound  for  the 
house  for  more  ammunition  as  fast  as  I 
could  get  there,  and  I  never  thought  of 
any  one  being  near." 

"  There  never  is,"  said  Laura ;  "  every 
body  always  goes  the  other  way.  That's 
why  I  raced  Prince  up  here." 

Mr.  Wilton  straightened  an  involuntary 
smile  at  her  evident  regret  that  he  had 
not  followed  the  usual  path.  "  I'm  aw 
fully  sorry  I  spoiled  the  race,"  he  said, 


$H     COUNCILS    OF   CRCESUS      m 

solemnly ;    "  I'll  go  on  and  never  look 
back  once  if  you'll  finish  it." 

Laura  was  trying  to  pin  back  some  re 
bellious  tresses  that  were  straying  over 
her  ears  and  forehead,  and  to  restore  her 
hat,  that  was  knocked  half  off  her  head 
to  its  proper  angle.  At  first  she  only 
heard  the  words  and  tone.  "  Oh,  I  didn't 
mean  that !  "  she  began,  looking  up  in 
some  distress  till  she  caught  him  in  an 
unmistakable  grin.  "  Oh !  "  she  said 
again,  foolishly. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  Mr.  Wilton 
choked  in  his  efforts  to  be  properly  sober, 
"  but,  but  —  what  a  sight  we  must  have 
been  as  we  ran  into  each  other  —  head 
on!" 

"  Yap !  Yap !  Yap !  "  Prince,  who  had 
been  sniffing  curiously  at  the  newcomer 
ever  since  the  abrupt  termination  of  his 
scamper,  now  threw  himself  bodily  upon 
the  young  man,  barking  at  the  top  of  his 
shrill  treble.  And  then,  to  her  o\vn  sur 
prise,  Laura  was  joining  in  the  peals  of 
laughter  that  Mr.  Wilton  no  longer  tried 
to  restrain. 

51 


COUNCILS    OF 


"  Good  dog !  "  said  Jack,  patting  him 
gratefully,  "  we're  friends  for  ever,  aren't 
we?  "  He  looked  sideways  at  the  young 
person  before  him,  who  had  dropped  on  to 
a  rock  and  was  still  laughing  in  a  way 
to  have  amazed  her  mother. 

"  That's  just  what  he  means,"  she 
nodded,  gleefully,  but  with  literalness. 
"  He  never  adopts  strangers  like  that 
unless  he  has  decided  they're  quite  to  his 
tnste.  He  really  knows  everything,"  she 
added,  with  such  entire  acquiescence  in  his 
canine  judgment  that  Jack,  in  spite  of 
his  amusement,  felt  still  more  grateful  to 
Master  Prince. 

"  Do  you  know,"  he  said,  presently,  "  I 
believe  I've  seen  you  before  somewhere." 

'  That's  queer,"  said  Laura,  ruminat- 
ingly,  "  because  last  night  I  was  positive 
I'd  seen  you,  too." 

"  Was  that  the  reason  you  stared  at  me 
so  sfernly  from  your  dark  corner?  " 

"  If  it  was  dark,"  said  Laura,  reprov 
ingly.  "  I  don't  see  how  you  saw  that  I 
stared  sternly." 

"  It  wasn't  too  dark.  Besides,  some 
52 


-SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

eyes  are  like  lanterns,  you  know,  for 
lighting  up  a  dark  place." 

Apparently  Laura  did  not  hear.  She 
was  studying  his  face  with  an  embarrass 
ing"  scrutiny.  "  I  don't  believe  we  could 
have  met,  after  all.  Except  for  little 
summer  trips  home,  we've  been  abroad  for 
nearly  three  years  this  last  time." 

"  So  was  I,"  said  Mr.  Wilton,  promptly. 
"  Only  I've  been  back  now  over  a  year." 

"  Oh,  perhaps  then  I  have  seen  you. 
Where  were  you  most  of  the  time?  " 

"  Nearly  all  of  it  in  Paris  and  London 
studying  architecture.  Of  course  I  trav 
elled  round  some  and  went  to  Italy." 

Laura  looked  disappointed.  "  I  was  in 
Paris  last  winter,  but  before  we  were 
mostly  in  Dresden." 

"  Well,  perhaps  that's  where.  I  was  in 
Dresden  two  years  ago  for  nearly  three 
weeks."  He  laughed.  "  I  don't  think 
they  were  in  love  with  us  at  that  time. 
Judging  from  the  way  they  treated  one 
small  American  girl,  at  least." 

Laura's  eyes  opened  wide  with  startled 
interest.  "  They  hated  us,"  she  said,  ex- 
53 


•*H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     ^ 

citedly.  "  All  through  and  after  the  Span 
ish  war.  And  one  day  Frau  von  Hagen 
had  gone  into  a  shop,  and  I  was  waiting 
outside,  and  some  street  boys  began  to 
hoot  me.  Then  they  started  to  throw 
things,  and  I  only  just  dodged  a  big 
stone.  And  —  " 

"No!"  shouted  Mr.  Wilton.  "That 
little  girl  never  was  you  in  the  world !  " 

"  But  it  was !  "  Laura  for  once  pretty 
nearly  shouted,  too.  "  And  that  splendid 
American  young  man  who  came  along 
just  in  time,  and  caught  two  of  those  boys 
and  made  their  heads  come  together  like 
clappers,  he,  oh!  he  surely  was  you!" 
Jack  Wilton  could  never  be  hailed  as 
a  conquering  hero  more  flatteringly. 
"  Frau  von  Hagen  came  out  and  dragged 
me  away  at  that  minute,"  she  continued, 
before  he  had  a  chance  to  speak,  "  and 
wouldn't  let  me  even  thank  you.  It  was 
horrible  to  be  so  rude  and  ungrateful, 
and  I  tried  to  find  you  out  afterward, 
but  I  couldn't." 

"  I  went  to  London  that  night," 
said  Jack,  still  looking  with  amazement 
54 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

at  the  tall  young  woman  standing  with 
clasped  hands  before  him.  "  It  couldn't 
be  you,"  he  said,  obstinately.  "  She  was 
a  little  girl  and  had  her  hair  in  two  pig 
tails  down  her  back." 

Laura  laughed  delightedly.  "  Yes,  so 
I  was,  so  I  did.  That  was  two  years  ago, 
you  know,  and  it  was  just  then  I  began 
to  grow  tall.  Besides,  you  look  shorter 
with  short  dresses  and  your  hair  in 
braids." 

"Oh,  do  you!"  Jack  still  gazed 
doubtingly.  "  Well,  she  was  a  mighty 
plucky  little  girl,  anyway.  If  that  stout 
Dutch  lady  hadn't  lugged  her  off  when 
my  hands  were  full,  I  should  have  told 
her  how  I  admired  her  sand." 

"  I  wasn't  brave.  The  reason  I  didn't 
scream  was  that  I  was  so  surprised  to 
find  them  throwing  things  at  me  that  I 
didn't  have  any  breath  left.  What  did 
you  do  with  those  boys?  Did  you  hurt 
them  very  much?  " 

Jack  chuckled.  "  Just  enough  to  make 
them  feel  that  the  mighty  arm  of  the 
United  States  was  on  hand  to  protect 
55 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      Hr 

her  citizens.  I  don't  believe  those  same 
two  threw  anything  more  at  small  Ameri 
can  girls." 

"  It's  a  wonder  you  weren't  arrested 
yourself,"  said  Laura,  "  for  molesting 
German  youths." 

Jack  chuckled  again.  "  Just  as  I  was 
packing  the  young  scoundrels  off,  one  of 
those  nabobs  of  the  German  street  did 
come  up.  The  Arabs  hailed  him  with 
joy  and  stood  by  waiting  to  see  me  licked 
in  my  turn.  There  was  nothing  thin 
about  that  policeman's  skull.  But  I  man 
aged  to  bore  a  hole  sufficiently  near  his 
gray  matter  to  implant  the  information 
that  he'd  better  keep  his  hands  and  his 
street  ragamuffins'  hands  off  law-abiding 
American  travellers." 

Laura  laughed  too,  and  heaved  a  sigh 
of  satisfaction.  "  It  was  lucky  he  hadn't 
any  thicker  skull.  Most  of  them  you  could 
bore  all  day  and  never  get  through.  Then 
you'd  have  had  to  go  to  jail  and  court  — 
and  everything  —  just  for  me!  " 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Jack,  easily.  "  It 
would  have  been  a  pleasure,  but  really  it 
56 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ^H 

was  simply  to  uphold  the  dignity  of  Uncle 
Sam." 

"  That,"  said  Laura,  shyly,  "  is  to  make 
me  feel  less  indebted.  But  I  am  indebted, 
just  the  same.  I've  often  thought  that 
maybe  I  owed  my  escape  from  serious 
hurt  to  that  young  man.  And  I'm  glad 
you  are  the  man."  The  big  gray  eyes 
were  regarding  Jack  with  a  grave  admira 
tion  that  he  found  both  uncomfortable  and 
pleasing. 

At  this  moment  Prince  created  an  op 
portune  diversion.  Growling  and  barking 
and  twisting  himself  into  a  circle  in  his 
frantic  efforts,  he  appeared  before  them 
dragging  a  heavy  paddle. 

"  Fine!  "  cried  Jack,  while  he  unwound 
dog  and  paddle.  "  Miss  Lorraine,  what 
do  you  say  to  trying  the  canoe  I  saw  back 
in  the  creek?  " 

Laura  was  very  tired  of  doing  nothing, 
but  she  looked  a  little  doubtful.  "  Won't 
the  others  be  waiting  for  you  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  They  must  have  given  me  up  and  for 
gotten  me  before  this/'  he  smiled.  As 
Laura  still  hesitated,  "  We'll  float  round 
57 


where  they  can  see  us  from  the  house  all 
the  time,  so  if  Mrs.  Harmon  wants  you 
we'll  be  within  hailing  distance."  Then 
he  pulled  his  moustache  to  hide  a  wider 
smile  that  came  at  Laura's  relieved  accept 
ance. 

Neither  of  them,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  was 
quite  sure  of  the  ethics  of  the  situation. 
Jack's  early  training  had  had  little  to  do 
with  rules  of  strict  etiquette.  As  for 
Laura,  she  had  practically  never  been 
around  the  corner  without  a  chaperone. 
Hence  her  relief  at  his  proposal  to  stay 
within  window  surveillance. 

"  How  well  you  paddle,"  she  said,  as 
they  pushed  out  from  the  landing. 

"  Old  Nautan-at-wo  did  his  best  to 
teach  me." 

Laura  looked  inquisitive,  and  Jack's 
gaze  wandered  off  to  the  horizon,  while 
his  firm,  strong  strokes  cut  the  waves  with 
rhythmical  precision. 

"  If  you'd  like  I'll  tell  you  a  bit  about 

myself,"  he  said,  slowly.    "  I  was  brought 

up  in  a  big  country   village  where  my 

father  owns  some  mills.    My  mother  died 

58 


3H      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      & 

when  I  was  a  little  fellow.  Father  sort 
of  runs  the  town,  you  know,  but  he  isn't 
a  bit  of  what  you  people  call  '  a  swell.' 
When  it  was  time  I  went  to  college  near 
by  so's  to  be  home  Saturday  nights. 
Then  father  and  I  decided  that  if  I  was 
going  to  be  an  architect  I  ought  to  go 
abroad.  He  went  over  with  me  first,  and 
he  was  there  every  summer.  We  planned 
either  that  I  was  to  go  back  to  Wilton- 
ville,"  Jack  reddened  a  little  at  the  name, 
"  or  else  that  he  would  join  me  wherever 
I  was.  Well,  there  really  wasn't  anything 
for  me  to  do  at  home,  and  I  got  the 
chance  here  through  some  London  friends. 
Then,  after  all,  the  governor  found  he 
couldn't  break  up.  He'd  been  in  harness 
too  long  to  throw  it  off  at  one  jump.  So 
he  only  comes  down  once  in  awhile,  and 
I  imagine  the  old  chap  is  pretty  lone 
some." 

"  He  must  miss  you  awfully."  Laura's 
grave  conviction  sent  a  thrill  of  gratitude 
through  Jack.  "  But  you  aren't  lonesome, 
too,  are  you?  You  have  many  friends 
here?" 

59 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

"  I've  lots  of  acquaintances,  and,  yes, 
some  friends.  But,  you  see,  I'm  not  just 
where  I  belong.  Father's  business  rela 
tions  made  it  possible  for  me  to  get  letters 
to  some  of  New  York's  magnates.  That's 
how  I  came  to  be  with  Griswold.  And 
everybody's  been  very  kind,  and  I've  been 
invited  out  a  lot.  But,"  Jack  Wilton 
looked  directly  at  the  earnest  young  face 
before  him,  and  spoke  with  careful  empha 
sis.  "  But,  Miss  Lorraine,  I'm  not  one 
of  your  four  hundred  by  birth  or  training 
or  money  right.  Besides,  I  don't  appre 
ciate  them  any  more  than  they  would  me 
if  they  knew  all  about  me.  And,  any  way, 
you  can't  keep  hunting  round  after  fun, 
if  you're  doing  much  work.  And  there 
isn't  any  fun  so  exciting  and  interesting 
as  work  you  like."  The  boyish  enthusi 
asm  made  even  unsophisticated  Laura  feel 
why  so  many  weary  people  might  have 
taken  pains  to  be  "  nice  "  to  Mr.  Wilton. 
"  So,"  he  went  on,  quietly,  "  I've  made 
up  my  mind  this  shall  be  one  of  my  very 
last  dissipations." 


60 


"  But  Aunt  Harriet  works,"  put  in 
Laura,  eagerly. 

"  I  know  it.  I  don't  see  how  she  ever 
gets  time  for  everything.  It's  through 
her  that  I've  met  some  other  people  who 
work,  too.  Some  writers  and  painters  it's 
a  privilege  to  know." 

"  Then  I  suppose  you'll  accept  invita 
tions  from  them."  Laura's  wistful  tone 
Jack  failed  to  absorb. 

"If  I'm  lucky  enough  to  get  any,"  he 
laughed. 

Laura  stifled  a  sigh  and  wondered 
again  for  the  thousandth  time  what  fun 
there  could  be  in  a  stupid  coming-out 
party,  and  a  lot  of  stupid  dinners  and 
dances  and  teas  afterward.  "  It  must  be 
fine,"  she  said,  enviously,  "  to  be  a  man 
with  something  real  to  do." 

Jack  looked  at  her  pityingly.  He  knew 
from  the  papers  and  from  people's  com 
ments  that  Miss  Laura  Lorraine  was  one 
of  the  richest  heiresses  of  the  coming 
season's  debutantes.  To  his  mind  it 
wasn't  a  position  he  should  like  his  sister 
to  be  in.  "  Why  don't  you  throw  over 
61 


OF    CRCESUS      H£ 


the  whole  thing,"  he  said,  unpremedi- 
tatedly,  "and  do  something,  too?  Miss 
Aspinwall  could  help  you.  Didn't  I  hear 
you  were  fond  of  music?" 

"  Oh,  it  would  be  heavenly !  But 
mother  thinks  I  have  a  position  in  society 
that  is  just  as  important  for  me  to  fill." 

Jack  opened  his  lips  impulsively,  and 
then  as  he  saw  the  tense,  overgrave  face, 
he  shut  them  up.  "  Well,"  he  said,  cheer 
fully,  "  I'm  thinking  your  mother  may 
be  right.  It's  usually  foolish  to  forswear 
one's  birthright." 


62 


COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS 


CHAPTER   IV. 

HE  last  train  that  afternoon 
brought  a  letter  from  Miss 
Aspinwall.  She  deserved 
their  pity  instead  of  re 
proaches,  she  assured  them.  It  was  a 
wretched  combination  of  circumstances, 
but  she  simply  couldn't  leave  for  two  days 
more.  She  should  bring  Mr.  Dinsmore 
back  with  her,  and  she  hoped  they'd  all 
stay  over  the  next  Sunday  to  make  up 
for  her  absence. 

Meanwhile  it  had  not  occurred  to  Aunt 
Harmon  to  send  word  to  her  niece  of  Mr. 
Weathersby's  invited  guest.  The  first 
intimation  Miss  Aspinwall  had  of  Wil 
ton's  presence  was  on  the  arrival  of  the 
train  at  Coggeshall  Thursday  afternoon. 
"  Shades  of  Sir  Robert  and  Helen  Lor 
raine  forbid !  "  She  clutched  Mr.  Dins- 
more' s  arm,  and  pointed  out  of  the  win 
dow.  There  on  the  platform  stood  Jack 
Wilton  with  Laura  Lorraine.  Both  young 
63 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

people  looked  rosy  and  happy,  and  Laura 
was  laughing. 

"  Whoever  saw  the  child  look  so  gay  ?  " 
she  exclaimed,  turning  to  follow  Mr. 
Dinsmore  out.  "  So  that's  the  \vay  I've 
been  keeping  my  promise  to  look  after 
her  as  if  she  were  my  own !  " 

"  I'm  inclined  to  think,"  murmured 
Mr.  Dinsmore,  with  a  quizzical  expression 
in  his  keen  blue  eyes,  "  that  that's  just  the 
way  you'd  have  done  if  she  were  your 
own." 

Miss  Aspinwall  threw  him  a  scornful 
glance.  "  Such  penetration !  "  Then, 
with  a  brilliant  smile  she  stepped  off  the 
car  and  held  out  a  welcoming  hand  to  the 
tall  young  fellow  who  was  waiting  for  her. 

"  I'm  a  rank  interloper,  Miss  Aspin 
wall,"  he  said,  before  she  could  speak. 
"  But,  really,  if  I'd  known  you  were  in 
town,  I  never  should  have  let  Mr. 
Weathersby  persuade  me  to  come  here 
with  him." 

"  Then  I'm  glad  you  didn't  know  it," 
she  replied,  cordially.  "  Mr.  Weathersby 
always  does  exactly  as  he  pleases  at  the 
64 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

Oakes,  and  this  time  it's  a  most  delightful 
please.  You  know  Mr.  Dinsmore,  I  be 
lieve.  He  thinks  he  is  going  to  prove  to 
you  that  he's  the  one  champion  rabbit 
hunter  in  the  country.  I  don't  see,"  she 
added,  with  apparent  guilelessness,  "  how 
you  are  not  in  the  woods  with  Uncle  John 
this  minute.  He  doesn't  usually  let  his 
prey  escape  so  easily." 

Jack  laughed,  with  perfect  unembar- 
rassment.  "  It  wasn't  easy,  I  assure  you. 
But  I  told  him  that  if  he  didn't  want  to 
take  away  all  the  self-respect  I  ever  had 
he  must  let  me  home  in  time  to  meet  you." 

"  He'll  be  pretty  cross,  though,"  said 
Laura,  innocently,  "  when  he  finds  you 
didn't  come  till  now.  Aunt  Harmon  ex 
pected  you  at  half-past  two." 

"  You  haven't  been  waiting  here  ever 
since !  "  exclaimed  Miss  Aspinwall,  with 
a  flash  of  her  eye  at  Mr.  Dinsmore. 

"  Of  course  not ;  we've  been  doing  all 
sorts  of  errands  in  the  village  for  Aunt 
Harmon,  and  we  took  a  walk." 

"  Wilton,"  said  Mr.  Dinsmore,  as  they 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     ^ 

walked  off  the  platform,  "  whom  the  gods 
love  die  young." 

And  Jack,  after  a  first  uncomprehend 
ing  stare,  called  the  older  man  in  his  own 
mind  something  uncomplimentary,  and 
was  thankful  the  two  women  didn't  hear. 

Miss  Aspinwall  soon  found  out  that 
Laura  had  not  written  her  mother  since 
her  first  note.  "  I  might  have  known  it," 
she  groaned,  inwardly.  "  Not  only  do  I 
have  to  take  the  punishment  for  sins  that 
are  thrust  upon  me,  but  I  must  do  the 
preliminary  confessing  also." 

The  "  special  "  she  sent  Mrs.  Lorraine 
by  the  next  mail  wound  up  with  the  fol 
lowing  consolatory  remarks  :  "  After  all, 
I  can't  see  that  there  is  a  thing  to  worry 
about.  If  I  weren't  well  aware  that  you 
believe  in  taking  no  risks,  I  shouldn't 
mention  the  matter  at  all.  Personally,  I 
have  entire  confidence  in  a  few  underlying 
facts.  Even  if  Laura  is  flattered  by  the 
polite  attentions  of  the  first  man  she's 
met,  I  am  sure  she  is  not  the  kind  of  girl 
to  attract  him.  She's  too  grave  and  sober. 
Though  he  is  dead  in  earnest  himself,  he 
66 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

is  bubbling  over  with  fun  and  life.  The 
woman  to  hold  him  would  either  be  a  girl 
of  Laura's  age  with  all  the  esprit  and 
nonsense  she  lacks,  or  else  a  woman  of  the 
world,  likely  enough  much  older  than 
himself." 

Mrs.  Lorraine's  answer  to  this  was  to 
take  the  next  express  for  Coggeshall. 
Not  because  she  was  alarmed  by  Miss 
Aspinwall's  letter.  To  begin  with,  she 
more  than  half  suspected  that  lady  of  a 
desire  to  torment  her.  As  for  the  rest, 
it  would  be  altogether  too  melodramatic 
for  her  plans  to  be  upset  so  unceremoni 
ously.  Nevertheless,  she  was  not  the 
woman  to  take  success  for  granted. 
Neither,  as  Miss  Aspinwall  intimated,  did 
she  ever  fail  from  any  careless  slight  of 
supposed  trifles.  This  time,  however,  she 
was  just  too  late  for  precautionary  meas 
ures.  As  she  stepped  on  to  the  Coggeshall 
platform,  Mr.  Wilton  boarded  a  train 
going  citywards.  All  Mrs.  Lorraine  saw 
was  the  back  of  a  tall,  broad-shouldered 
man  who  carried  his  head  well,  and  whose 
clothes  seemed  to  fit. 
67 


$H     COUNCILS    OF   CRCESUS      ^ 

Miss  Aspinwall  professed  to  be  ex 
tremely  sorry  for  the  business  telegram 
that  took  him  away  so  unexpectedly. 

"  He's  as  unusual  in  his  way  as  Laura 
in  hers,"  she  assured  her  friend  with  ill- 
concealed  enjoyment.  "  And  he  succeeded 
in  making  her  laugh  at  least  three  times 
to  my  certain  knowledge." 

"  Really !  "  Mrs.  Lorraine  was  wholly 
unruffled.  "  Perhaps  he  might  take  the 
place  of  the  dogs.  They  are  a  great 
nuisance." 

"  Exactly  what  occurred  to  me,"  replied 
Miss  Aspinwall,  promptly.  "  Many  sons- 
in-law  are  worth  much  less  than  that." 

"  I  did  not  know  that  we  were  speaking 
of  sons-in-law.  Is  it  possible,"  Mrs.  Lor 
raine  spoke  with  cool  speculation,  "  that 
you  and  Mr.  Weathersby  were  perhaps 
slightly  ahead  of  me  with  your  plans?  " 

"  Ahead  of  you !  "  Miss  Aspinwall's 
face  expressed  solemn  reproach.  "  Helen 
Lorraine,  did  any  one  ever  get  ahead  of 
you?" 

"  One  person,"  said  the  other,  her  voice 
suddenly  sharp.  "  Which  is  why  I  pro- 
68 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

pose  that  Laura  shall  be  put  in  a  position 
where  she  can  run  no  such  risk." 

"  You'll  have  to  be  sure,  then,  of  more 
things  than  birth  and  money." 

"  I  certainly  shall.  But  I  don't  intend 
to  go  without  those  two  attributes,  either." 

Laura's  manner  to  her  mother,  when 
she  told  her  of  Mr.  Wilton,  dispelled  any 
uneasiness  that  lady  may  have  felt.  She 
showed  merely  her  usual  mild  interest, 
somewhat  increased  by  gratitude,  for  the 
rescue  in  Dresden.  "  He  says,"  she 
wound  up  her  account,  "  that  he  isn't 
going  into  society  much  this  winter  be 
cause  he  thinks  it  is  stupid,  and  because 
he  can't  do  that  and  work,  too.  If  I 
were  a  man  I'd  feel  just  that  way,"  she 
added,  valiantly.  "  I  told  him  you  would 
like  to  meet  him  and  thank  him  for  pom 
melling  those  German  boys." 

"  Of  course,"  said  her  mother,  perhaps 
more  relieved  than  she  was  aware.  "  He 
shall  be  invited,  along  with  the  rest  of 
your  Aunt  Harriet's  presentable  artist 
friends  to  your  first  reception." 


69 


COUNCILS   OF   CRCESUS 


CHAPTER   V. 


T 


HE  society  columns  of  the 
papers  gave  much  space  to 
describing  the  debut  of  Miss 
Laura  Lorraine.  "  In  sev 
eral  respects,"  dilated  one  journal,  "  it 
was  an  unusual  as  well  as  charming  affair. 
It  is  not  often  that  a  woman  of  such  glori 
ous  youth  and  beauty  as  Mrs.  Lorraine 
has  a  daughter  of  debutante  age.  It  is 
rare  also  to  find  the  daughter  almost 
equally,  if  very  differently,  beautiful. 
Though  Miss  Lorraine  does  indeed 
resemble  her  mother,  it  is  in  line  and  con 
tour  rather  than  in  expression,  colouring, 
or  general  effect.  .  .  .  The  reception  itself 
was  noteworthy  for  the  number  of  well- 
known  authors,  painters,  and  musicians 
seen  among  the  fashionable  throng.  Mrs. 
Lorraine  has  always  kept  more  or  less  in 
touch  with  the  world  of  art  and  letters. 
That  so  large  a  contingent  of  this  world 
was  present,  speaks  volumes  for  the  intel- 
70 


3H     COUNCILS   OF    CRCESUS      $& 

lectual  standing  of  the  hostess.  ...  It 
would  be  invidious  to  single  out  any  one 
name  among  so  many  distinguished 
guests.  We  may  mention,  however,  that 
Sir  Robert  Martinmas,  the  Englishman 
whose  great  wealth  is  no  better  known 
than  his  fame  as  a  scientific  writer,  hon 
oured  Mrs.  Lorraine  by  making  her 
daughter's  debut  that  of  his  own  in  New 
York  society." 

On  the  whole,  Laura  had  a  better  time 
that  evening  than  she  expected.  She  was 
enough  like  the  rest  of  humanity  to  feel 
the  pleased  exhilaration  at  being  the  centre 
of  so  much  admiring  attention.  It  was 
agreeable,  too,  to  know  that  one  really  did 
look  pretty  in  a  lovely  gown.  Best  of  all 
was  the  fact  that  one's  mother  had  said, 
enthusiastically,  "  Well,  child,  I  believe 
you'll  be  the  belle  of  the  season."  Finally, 
there  was  some  entertainment  in  seeing  so 
many  kinds  of  people,  and  wondering 
how  they  could  be  so  different  and  yet  all 
say  very  much  the  same  things.  To  be 
sure,  there  were  a  few  exceptions  to  this. 
Laura  smiled  as  she  saw  Miss  Aspinwall 
71 


iH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

through  the  crowd.  One  could  be  reason 
ably  sure  that  she  would  put  some  of  her 
differences  into  wTords. 

"  What  do  you  mean,"  she  exclaimed, 
"  by  appearing  so  blooming  ?  You  need 
never  expect  me  to  waste  any  sympathy 
over  you  again.  I  supposed  you'd  be 
bored  to  death,  as  white  as  your  gown, 
and  twice  as  limp.  I  was  pitying  you  so 
that  if  it  hadn't  been  for  a  mortal  terror 
of  your  mother,  I  should  certainly  have 
brought  Prince  with  me  to  cheer  you  up. 
And  after  all  my  worry  you  are  actually 
enjoying  yourself !  " 

"  People  have  been  so  pleasant,"  said 
Laura,  apologetically,  "  and  I'm  not  a  bit 
tired  yet." 

"  Good  girl !  If  you  continue  not  to  get 
tired,  people  will  most  likely  continue  to 
be  pleasant,  and  then,  —  there  you  are,  a 
social  success.  Which,"  she  added,  sol 
emnly,  "  as  your  mother  can  tell  you,  is 
the  one  thing  of  importance  for  a  woman." 

"  What  nonsense  are  you  instilling 
now,  Harriet?  "  said  Mrs.  Lorraine,  turn 
ing  from  old  General  Wharton,  who  had 
72 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

seized  every  lull  in  the  stream  of  callers 
to  monopolise  her  attention. 

"  I'm  telling  Laura,"  answered  Miss 
Aspinwall,  distinctly,  but  too  low  for 
those  near  to  hear,  "  that  the  one  thing 
necessary  for  a  girl  is  to  be  a  social  suc 
cess.  But  I  didn't  explain  why.  It's 
because  her  second  public  appearance  will 
then  probably  be  as  successful  as  her  first." 

"  Oh !  "  Laura  turned  scarlet.  "  You 
mean  her  wedding,  I  suppose." 

"  Harriet  Aspinwall,"  said  her  mother 
at  the  same  time,  and  too  softly  for  Laura 
to  hear,  "  if  you  are  going  to  turn  into  a 
meddler,  I'll  pack  up  and  take  the  child 
to  London." 

The  painter  looked  deeply  grieved. 
"  Meddle  with  you  ?  I  should  as  soon 
think  of  putting  my  fingers  into  Satan's 
own  pie." 

At  this  moment  a  sudden  light  came 
into  Mrs.  Lorraine's  eyes,  and  Miss  Aspin 
wall  turned  with  unabashed  curiosity  to 
discover  the  cause.  At  the  other  end  of 
the  drawing-room,  towering  head  and 
shoulders  above  most  of  those  about  him, 
73 


^     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

was  Sir  Robert  Martinmas.  Miss  Aspin- 
wall  smiled,  and  prepared  to  wait  where 
she  was. 

"  By  the  way,"  she  said,  easily,  to  Mrs. 
Lorraine,  "  I've  been  meaning  to  tell  you 
how  stunning  I  think  these  rooms  are  now. 
I  don't  believe  there  is  a  house  in  the  city 
with  such  beautiful  big  empty  spaces  on 
its  walls." 

"  Glad  you  like  them."  Mrs.  Lorraine's 
interest  seemed  a  little  forced.  "  The 
tapestries  were  so  good  I  couldn't  bear  to 
cover  them  up.  Ah !  Sir  Robert,"  holding 
out  her  hand  to  the  tall  blond  man,  "  this 
is  very  nice  of  you.  You  didn't  tell  me 
in  London  that  we  were  going  to  be 
fortunate  enough  to  have  you  here  this 
season." 

"I  —  I  really  didn't  know  it  myself." 
Miss  Aspinwall  thought  he  actually 
blushed. 

"  And  indeed,"  she  murmured  to  her 
self,  "  such  undisguised  admiration  ought 
to  turn  him  purple." 

"  You  remember  my  daughter,"  contin 
ued  Mrs.  Lorraine,  with  what  Miss  As- 
74 


^     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

pinwall  called  undue  haste.  "  Laura,  of 
course  you  haven't  forgotten  Sir  Robert 
Martinmas." 

The  Englishman  shook  hands  heartily, 
his  admiring  gaze  intensified.  "  I  hope 
all  your  days  to  come,"  he  said,  earnestly 
if  rather  heavily,  "  will  be  as  fair  as  you 
yourself  are  to-day." 

"  That  makes  another  different  one," 
thought  Laura,  while  she  thanked  him 
shyly. 

"  The  next  time  I  attend  a  reception," 
announced  Mr.  Dinsmore,  as  he  strolled 
up  to  the  group,  "  I'm  going  to  follow 
Sir  Robert's  plan  and  get  there  after 
everybody  has  come  and  just  before  any 
body  thinks  of  going.  Ever  since  nine 
o'clock  I've  been  marching  round  in  a 
never  ending  procession  trying  to  get  in 
a  word  edgewise  with  my  hostess." 

"  If  you've  been  here  as  long  as  that," 
said  Miss  Aspinwall,  "  I  suppose  you've 
come  up  now  to  make  your  adieus." 

"  It's  a  great  mistake  to  suppose,"  re 
plied  Mr.  Dinsmore,  calmly.  "  I'm  going 
to  stay  right  here  with  the  receiving  party 
75 


-SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     H£ 

till  even  General  Wharton  has  said  good 
night.  What  do  you  think  of  this  for  a 
show,  Martinmas?  "  Sir  Robert  and  Mr. 
Dinsmore  had  been  college  friends  at  Ox 
ford. 

"  I  think,"  answered  the  Englishman, 
enthusiastically,  "  it's  a  pity  that  brigand 
Paris  couldn't  have  had  a  view  of  Amer 
ican  women.  He  wouldn't  have  been 
tempted  then  to  go  robbing  poor  old 
Menelaus  of  his  one  treasure." 

"  Ladies,  make  your  best  bows,"  said 
Mr.  Dinsmore,  applauding  the  baronet. 

"  The  fuss  made  over  Helen,"  began 
Miss  Aspinwall,  "  is  proof  positive  to  me 
that  the  boasted  Greek  beauty  must  have 
been  about  as  rare  as  honest  politics  in 
New  York." 

"  Please,  some  one,"  begged  Mrs.  Lor 
raine,  "  stop  her  before  she  gets  started 
on  her  city  iniquity  hobby-horse." 

"  Don't  worry.  I'm  not  even  going  to 
mount  him,"  said  Miss  Aspinwall,  curtly. 
"  Laura,  has  Mr.  Wilton  been  in  ?  " 

"  No,  —  why,  there  he  is  this  minute." 

"  With  Madame  d'Honneur  on  his 
76 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ^ 

arm,"  exclaimed  Miss  Aspinwall.  "  Who 
ever  has  seen  her  speak  to  a  young  man 
since  her  son  lost  his  reason  in  the  hazing 
at  college!  And  that  was  more  than 
twenty  years  ago !  " 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs.  Lorraine,  softly,  as 
the  two  came  toward  them,  "  he  is  hand 
some  enough  to  work  a  change  of  heart 
in  most  women." 

Madame  d'Honneur,  leaning  heavily 
with  one  hand  on  her  ebony  cane  and  with 
the  other  on  Jack  Wilton's  arm,  brought 
herself  and  her  supports  to  an  abrupt  halt. 

"  Helen  Lorraine,"  she  squeaked,  in  a 
high,  cracked  voice,  "  if  it  hadn't  been  for 
this  young  man,  I  might  have  broken  my 
neck  at  your  door."  She  lifted  her  cane 
to  interrupt  Jack's  laughing  disclaimer. 
"  It  is  not  to  be  made  light  of,  Mr.  Wil 
ton,  either  my  escape  or  the  manner  of  it. 
What  with  an  abnormally  stupid  footman 
and  your  icy  sidewalk,  I  should  have  fallen 
if  this  young  man  hadn't  had  the  gal 
lantry  and  quickness  to  help  me.  Most 
young  men  to-day,"  she  added  in  her  high 


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-*H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ^ 

register  that  carried  clearly,  "  have  very 
little  of  either  of  those  attributes." 

"  Now,  madame,"  interposed  Miss 
Aspinwall,  trying  to  save  Jack's  blushes, 
"  don't  say  such  damaging  things  about 
America!  Sir  Robert  Martinmas  will  go 
home  and  report  it  all  over  the  British 
Isles." 

Madame  d'Honneur  fixed  her  sharp 
eyes  on  the  Englishman,  who  looked  a 
trifle  bewildered  over  the  whole  affair. 
"  So  far  as  I  have  observed,"  she  re 
marked,  stonily,  "  I  have  failed  to  see  that 
England  can  claim  any  great  superiority 
in  either  quickness  of  perception  or  in 
the  manners  of  its  population,  young  or 
old."  Then  much  to  the  relief  of  her 
listeners,  she  turned  to  Laura.  "  My 
dear,"  she  said,  patting  her  hand  kindly, 
"  you  look  sweet  and  lovely,  and  I  hope 
society's  poison  will  never  make  you  sour 
or  unhappy.  Mr.  Wilton,  I'll  leave  you 
with  her,  while  General  Wharton  takes  me 
to  the  dining-room."  And  she  calmly  ap 
propriated  the  old  gentleman  who  had 


'  I    NEVER    KNEW    UNTIL    THIS    FALL    HOW    MUCH 
LAURA    AND    I    OWE    YOU  '  " 


-SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     H£ 

just  come  up  for  another  chat  with  Mrs. 
Lorraine. 

Jack  meanwhile  had  taken  the  first  op 
portunity  to  tell  Laura  that  now  he  was 
positive  she  never  had  been  that  small  girl 
in  Dresden.  "  She  was  a  very  pretty 
child,"  he  acknowledged,  "  but  she  never 
could  have  grown  into  this  present  Miss 
Lorraine." 

She  flushed  a  little  at  his  frank  flattery, 
and  thought  to  herself  with  a  pleased  smile 
that  he  was  "  still  a  different  one." 

Mrs.  Lorraine  was  smiling,  too,  as  she 
turned  to  the  young  man.  "  I  never  knew 
until  this  fall  how  much  Laura  and  I  owe 
you,"  she  said,  with  the  gracious  softness 
men  both  older  and  younger  than  Jack 
Wilton  had  found  bewilderingly  entranc 
ing. 

What  with  his  embarrassment  over  his 
presentation  by  Madame  d'Honneur,  and 
his  recognition  of  Laura's  loveliness,  he 
really  until  now  had  hardly  noticed  Mrs. 
Lorraine.  His  first  thought  was  that  this 
stately  young  woman  could  not  possibly 
be  the  mother  of  the  tall,  grown-up  maiden 
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3H      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     H£ 

beside  her.  After  that  he  thought  of 
nothing,  except  that  he  had  never  dreamed 
of  such  beauty.  He  hardly  knew  how  he 
answered  her  smiling  words,  and  it  was 
not  till  he  caught  Miss  Aspinwall's  amused 
expression  that  he  was  brought  to  his 
senses.  Later  she  found  chance  to 
whisper,  reassuringly,  "  You  did  much 
better  than  most!  Many's  the  wise  man 
I've  seen  turn  into  a  blithering  idiot  at 
the  first  sight  of  her." 

"  I  suppose,"  she  moralised,  on  her  way 
home  that  evening,  to  Mr.  Dinsmore,  who 
had  coolly  followed  her  into  her  carriage, 
"  that  the  universality  of  a  beautiful 
woman's  fascinations  is  what  keeps  her 
head  steady.  One  who  wasn't  used  from 
babyhood  to  creating  furors  of  adulation 
never  could  stand  even  such  mild  obei 
sance  as  young  Wilton  gave  Helen." 

Mr.  Dinsmore  laughed.  "  Wasn't  the 
boy  amazed,  though,  at  finding  such  a 
mother  to  Laura !  " 

"  No  more  so  than  every  other  man 
who  first  meets  her.  I  can't  get  over  the 
amazement  myself  whenever  I  look  at 
80 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

her.  Moreover,"  she  added,  perhaps  ir 
relevantly,  "  I  can  quite  understand  why 
every  man  Jack  of  you  falls  at  once  head 
over  heels  in  love  with  her." 

"  Every  man  Jack  of  us,"  answered 
Mr.  Dinsmore,  shortly,  "  doesn't." 

Miss  Aspinwall  looked  at  him  wickedly. 
"  Well,  I  believe  you  never  have  thrown 
yourself  completely  at  her  feet.  I've 
always  wondered  why." 

"  You  haven't,  either.  You  know  per 
fectly  well  why." 

Miss  Aspinwall's  gaze  became  reproach 
fully  indignant.  "  I  don't.  It's  absolutely 
beyond  my  comprehension.  I  never  saw 
any  other  signs  that  you  were  so  mar 
vellously  different  from  others  of  your 
loyal  sex." 

"  I'm  not.  There  have  been  full  plenty 
in  exactly  my  position.  If  you  don't 
know  what  and  how  that  is,  I'll  tell  you 
this  minute."  There  was  a  determined 
expression  about  the  none  too  weak  mouth 
of  Mr.  Dinsmore  that  somehow  made 
Miss  Aspinwall  quake  with  apprehension. 

"  You  needn't  bother,"  she  said,  airily. 
81 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      & 

"  Probably  I  shouldn't  be  interested." 

"  Probably  you  wouldn't.  You  never 
are  in  me  or  my  doings."  Mr.  Dins- 
more's  voice  was  savage. 

"  Doings !  "  Her  tone  was  light,  but 
there  was  enough  scorn  in  it  to  sting. 
''  I've  never  known  you  to  have  any 
'  doings.'  You  can't  expect  a  busy  woman 
like  me  to  keep  up  a  vivid  interest  in  your 
dogs  and  your  horses  and  your  cotillons, 
can  you?  " 

"  I  don't  know  but  horses  and  dogs  are 
fully  as  elevating  things  to  devote  one's 
time  to,  as  forever  painting  fool  society 
women." 

It  was  Miss  Aspinwall's  turn  to  smart. 
"  At  least,"  she  said,  haughtily,  "  I  work. 
I'm  not  a  drag  on  the  universe  that  I  am 
a  part  of." 

"  Maybe  not.  But  how  about  the  pov 
erty-stricken  painters,  who,  if  you  were 
out  of  it  might  get  some  of  your  big- 
price  orders  ?  Perhaps  the  universe  would 
be  full  as  well  off  if  you  gave  them  a  few 
chances." 

"  It  isn't  true."  There  was  a  passion- 
82 


$H      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     H£ 

ate  note  new  to  the  man.  "  What  do  you 
suppose  I  do  with  the  money  I  make  by 
my  '  big-price  '  orders?  " 

Before  he  could  answer  she  turned 
gentle  once  more.  "  Don't  let's  fight, 
Tom.  I'm  not  asking  you  to  go  to  money 
grubbing.  There's  plenty  you  might  do 
with  your  wealth  and  position  without 
that." 

"  There's  plenty,"  said  he,  pointedly, 
but  accepting  the  amende  honorable, 
"  that  I  try  to  do  and  am  not  allowed, 
already.  There's  quite  enough  strenuous- 
ness  in  existence  without  my  going  on  a 
hunt  for  more." 

"  Well,"  replied  the  lady,  firing  her  last 
shot,  sharply,  "  I  like  such  a  youth  as 
Jack  Wilton.  He  carries  purpose  and 
determination  and  endeavour  all  over  him. 
He'll  make  a  name  for  himself." 

Mr.  Dinsmore  shook  his  head,  dole 
fully.  "  What  a  pity  he's  not  eight  or 
ten  years  older.  It's  a  vast  shame  for 
two  souls  with  such  mighty  aims  to  be 
separated  by  a  few  paltry  years." 

"  You're  incorrigible.  One  might  as 
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3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ¥& 

well  try  single-handed  to  ameliorate  the 
condition  of  the  widows  in  India  as  to 
change  you." 

"  It's  always  a  doubtful  good  to  try  to 
alter  the  result  of  generations  of  belief 
and  training.  Most  likely  now,"  he  helped 
her  out  as  the  carriage  drew  up  at  her 
door,  "  if  I  were  all  made  over  to  your 
order,  I'd  be  in  worse  favour  with  you 
than  I  am  at  this  minute."  He  held  her 
hand  with  ostentatious  anxiety,  but  there 
was  a  queer  little  pleading  expression  in 
his  eyes. 

"  Nonsense,"  she  said,  and  bade  him 
good  night  brusquely. 


84 


COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS 


CHAPTER    VI. 


long  after  Laura's  debut 
Mrs.  Lorraine  had  an  attack 
of  the  grippe  that  kept  her 
closely  housed  for  nearly 
three  weeks.  Never  was  sickness  more 
inopportune.  She  felt  that  it  would  be 
less  hard  to  bear  if  Laura  were  sick,  too. 
At  first,  indeed,  she  almost  decided  not  to 
let  the  girl  accept  any  invitations  till  she 
herself  was  able  to  go  out  with  her.  Miss 
Aspinwall  persuaded  her  to  relinquish 
that  idea. 

"Of  course  no  one  can  manage  for 
Laura  quite  as  you  would,"  said  the 
painter,  "  but  really,  considering  the  kind 
of  things  she  is  booked  for  during  the  next 
two  or  three  weeks,  I  don't  see  that  any 
irreparable  accident  can  happen.  At 
least,"  she  grinned  openly,  "  Sir  Robert 
Martinmas  is  sure  to  be  everywhere  the 
child  goes,  and  if  it  will  give  you  any 
85 


SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

comfort,  I'll  agree  personally  to  supervise 
their  meetings." 

The  jumping  pains  and  her  general 
feeling  of  wretchedness  made  Mrs.  Lor 
raine  less  haughtily  self-reliant  than  usual. 
For  once  she  longed  to  have  her  motives 
and  ideas  somewhat  understood. 

"  Harriet,"  she  said,  slowly,  "  you 
ought  to  sympathise  with  me  about  Laura. 
You  know  what  my  married  life  was  well 
enough  to  appreciate  my  efforts  to  prevent 
hers  from  ever  becoming  like  it.  No  one 
can  tell  how  two  human  beings  are  ever 
going  to  get  along  together  in  a  daily 
companionship.  But  at  least,  certain 
catastrophes  can  be  prevented  beforehand. 
I  simply  don't  intend  to  let  Laura  come 
too  much  in  contact  with  men  who  lack 
the  necessary  adjuncts.  As  for  Sir  Rob 
ert,  —  he  has  everything.  I  don't  know 
a  single  American  who  can  rank  above 
him  in  any  one  particular,  unless  it  is 
money.  Moreover,  he  has  most  undoubted 
charm  and  a  very  good  heart.  What  more 
could  a  girl,  even  my  Laura,  ask  ?  " 

Miss  Aspinwall's  flippancy  had  entirely 


disappeared.  "  You  have  only  left  out 
one  point  in  your  reckoning,  Helen." 

"Which  is?" 

"  Nothing  but  love,  each  for  the  other." 

Mrs.  Lorraine  looked  at  the  artist  curi 
ously.  "  I  never  knew  your  creed  consid 
ered  that  at  all.  I  supposed  you  as  well 
as  I  had  seen  quite  too  much  of  the  misery 
following  fast  on  the  heels  of  so-called 
love-matches  to  have  faith  in  the  article." 

"  So-called  love-matches,  certainly," 
answered  Miss  Aspinwall.  "  I  merely 
thought  that  if  you  were  planning  the 
perfect  thing  for  Laura,  it  was  a  pity  not 
to  include  that  among  the  rest." 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs.  Lorraine,  shortly, 
"  if  love  didn't  come  with  all  that  rest, 
there's  as  little  sense  in  love  as  —  as  is 
usually  proved  to  be  the  case." 

"  But  supposing  Laura  has  the  bad  taste 
to  become  interested  in  some  one  else 
first?" 

"  Oh,"  Mrs.  Lorraine  pressed  her  ach 
ing  head,  rebelliously,  "  that's  just  why 
this  sickness  is  so  outrageous.  Prevention 
is  always  easy.  Laura  should  never  have 
87 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

a  chance  to  fall  in  love  with  the  wrong 
man  if  I  were  with  her  from  the  beginning. 
So  often  it  is  the  beginning  that  makes 
all  the  trouble." 

"  Your  old  method  of  victory  without 
battle,"  admired  Miss  Aspinwall.  "  Well, 
I  don't  grudge  the  winning  to  one  who 
hasn't  first  trampled  over  me  to  get  the 
goal.  Meanwhile,  don't  worry.  Really, 
you  know,  it  wyould  be  extraordinary  for 
that  quiet,  reserved  child  to  lose  her  heart 
in  her  first  month  out." 

Undoubtedly  Miss  Aspinwall  was  right. 
Besides,  Sir  Robert  was  in  town  now, 
and  something  might  take  him  away 
sooner  than  he  expected.  After  all.  with 
careful  chaperonage,  good,  rather  than  dis 
aster,  was  probable.  So  for  three  weeks 
Laura  was  largely  away  from  her  mother's 
controlling  mind.  To  the  girl's  own  as 
tonishment,  she  found  those  weeks  less 
trying  than  she  had  feared.  In  the  first 
place,  much  to  every  one's  surprise,  she 
proved  to  be  a  social  success.  With  the 
younger  set,  to  be  sure,  she  was  not  a 
favourite.  Altogether  too  quiet,  reserved 
88 


-SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

and  earnest  for  their  youthful  frivolity, 
she  soon  was  adored  by  all  elderly  people, 
and  before  long  not  a  few  men,  who  sel 
dom  noticed  the  "  buds,"  were  observed  to 
be  paying  her  much  attention.  She  must 
have  been  more  unlike  most  girls  than  she 
already  was  not  to  feel  the  subtle  flattery 
of  such  distinction.  As  for  the  men,  they 
often  found  themselves  talking  to  the 
grave-eyed,  sweet-faced  girl  as  they  had 
not  thought  of  talking  since  the  days  of 
their  own  nearly  forgotten  illusions. 

On  the  whole,  it  was  a  kind  of  triumph 
to  please  Mrs.  Lorraine,  for  she  thought 
it  the  safest  sort.  Moreover,  Sir  Robert 
Martinmas,  who  was  allowed  to  see  the 
invalid  the  first  day  she  was  down-stairs, 
made  so  many  charming  speeches  about 
Laura  that  Mrs.  Lorraine  felt  that  things 
had  gone  very  well  during  her  absence 
from  the  field.  Laura's  own  confidences 
confirmed  this  impression,  and  it  was  not 
till  she  herself  was  out  once  more  that 
she  found  things  rather  different  than  she 
expected. 

This  happened  at  the  Van  Breen  dinner, 
89 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

an  annual  affair  that  old  Mr.  Van  Breen 
had  insisted  upon  delaying  till  she  could 
attend.  There  was  never  anything  stu 
pider,  longer,  or  heavier  than  one  of  these 
dinners.  As  Mrs.  Lorraine  took  her  seat 
beside  her  host,  she  glanced  up  and  down 
the  table  with  much  inward  distaste. 
There  was  the  usual  lack  of  rhyme  or 
reason  in  the  selection  and  placing  of  the 
guests.  She  wondered  curiously  if  an 
undiluted  Knickerbocker  descent  and  gen 
erations'  long  residence  in  Washington 
Square  always  made  such  a  mess  of  sup 
posed  festivities.  Laura,  who  had  been 
taken  out  by  a  young  nephew  of  the  host, 
was  far  down  the  other  side,  and  for  some 
time  Mrs.  Lorraine  failed  to  see  who  was 
on  her  right. 

"  That's  an  extraordinarily  good-look 
ing  chap  by  Laura,"  said  Mr.  Van  Breen, 
noting  the  direction  of  Mrs.  Lorraine's 
eyes. 

The  young  widow  smiled  politely.  If 
there  was  a  homelier  man  in  New  York 
than  Jacob  Van  Breen  she  did  not  know 
him. 

90 


WASHINGTON    SQUARE    AND    ARCH 


^     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ^ 

"  He  brought  excellent  letters  of  intro 
duction  from  London  and  Paris,"  went 
on  the  host,  urbanely,  without  observing 
his  listener's  surprise.  "  And  Griswold 
told  me  the  other  day  that  he's  got  more 
stuff  in  him  than  any  youngster  he's  ever 
had  in  the  office." 

Mrs.  Lorraine  looked  bewildered.  "  I 
didn't  know  your  nephew  was  with  Gris 
wold." 

"  Jacob !  "  Mr.  Van  Breen's  mouth 
twitched  grimly.  "  That  precious  rascal 
would  as  soon  think  of  becoming  a  day 
labourer.  I'm  talking  of  young  Wilton, 
other  side  of  Laura.  Don't  you  know 
him?" 

Just  then  Laura  leaned  forward,  and 
Mrs.  Lorraine  found  herself  looking 
straight  at  Jack  Wilton's  laughing  face. 
She  felt  herself  suddenly  turn  to  ice.  Jack 
Wilton !  The  Dresden  youth !  How  much 
had  Laura  seen  of  him  these  past  three 
weeks?  Why  had  she  never  mentioned 
him? 

The  dinner  was  interminable.  After  it, 
in  spite  of  all  her  efforts,  she  found  no 
91 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

chance  to  speak  to  Wilton.  It  gave  her 
some  satisfaction  to  see  that  Laura  also 
had  only  a  word  or  two  with  him.  And 
she  thanked  her  stars  that  the  face  he 
turned  to  the  girl  expressed  only  a  smiling 
surface  interest.  When  at  last  the  foot 
man  shut  the  carriage  door,  she  settled 
back  into  her  corner  feeling  as  if  she  were 
on  the  verge  of  a  yawning  chasm.  As 
they  rolled  out  of  the  quiet,  dimmer 
square,  the  lights  that  turned  the  avenue's 
night  into  a  stage  day  splashed  momently 
into  the  carriage  windows,  throwing  the 
delicate,  flushed  face  beside  her  into  sharp 
ened  planes.  As  she  looked,  the  mother's 
disquiet  grew.  There  certainly  was  an 
unusual  shine  in  the  depths  of  the  big  gray 
eyes.  She  could  actually  feel  a  sort  of 
tremulous  excitement  about  the  curving 
lips. 

"  Laura,"  she  said,  abruptly,  "  what  are 
you  thinking  about  ?  " 

The  girl  started  and  hesitated  a  mo 
ment.  "  I  don't  know,  unless  it  was  that 
the  dinner  was  very  pleasant." 

"  My  dear !  "  remonstrated  Mrs.  Lor- 
92 


&     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     ^ 

raine.  "  I  never  before  heard  one  of  the 
Van  Breen  leaden  affairs  called  pleasant! 
Instructive,  perhaps,  or,  to  the  uninitiated, 
impressive.  But  pleasant  —  !  "  She 
lifted  her  eyebrows. 

The  flush  on  Laura's  face  deepened,  and 
Mrs.  Lorraine's  annoyance  increased. 

"  It  does  make  a  difference,  though," 
she  went  on,  suavely,  "  whom  you  have  to 
sit  by.  Unfortunately,  mein  Herr  Host 
never  omits  showering  all  his  attentions 
upon  me.  I  am  very  sure  there  can  be 
nothing  heavier  than  his  conversation  — 
unless  it  is  his  person." 

"  His  nephew  is  almost  as  heavy,"  said 
Laura.  "  I'm  always  tongue-tied  when  he 
tries  to  talk  to  me.  But  to-night  he  didn't 
bother  much,  he  had  such  a  lot  to  eat." 

Mrs.  Lorraine  laughed.  "  You  and  the 
young  man  on  the  other  side  seemed  to 
have  time  for  something  besides  eating." 

"Mr.  Wilton?"  There  certainly  was 
an  added  light  in  the  happy,  earnest  eyes, 
and  Mrs.  Lorraine  felt  as  if  some  one 
were  choking  her.  "  He  always  makes 
me  talk." 

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•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ^ 

It  sounded  to  the  mother  like  the  apolo 
getic  tone  of  proprietorship,  and  she  had 
an  insane  desire  to  shake  somebody.  Her 
voice  was  smooth,  however,  as  she  replied. 

"  He's  a  very  good-looking  fellow.  I 
wonder  where  he  got  his  well-bred  airs? 
Harriet  said  his  father  kept  a  country 
grocery  store." 

"  Why,  no,  he  didn't,"  said  Laura, 
indignantly.  "  They  own  some  mills,  and 
Mr.  Wilton  must  be  a  very  nice  old 
gentleman.  He  sent  his  son  abroad,  and 
—  and  —  they're  considered  to  be  almost 
kings  where  they  live." 

"  Ah !  "  said  Mrs.  Lorraine,  calmly. 
"  What  a  lot  you  know  about  him !  You 
must  have  seen  a  good  deal  of  him  while 
I've  been  sick." 

Laura's  flush  deepened.  "I  —  I  haven't 
seen  very  much  of  him  since  I  came  back 
from  Aunt  Harriet's.  We  got  well  ac 
quainted  down  there,  you  know.  And  — 
and,"  in  a  burst  of  confidence,  "  each  time 
I've  seen  him  this  winter.  I've  seemed  to 
know  him  a  great  deal  better  than  I  did 
before." 

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$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

Laura  little  mistrusted  the  wrathful 
consternation  that  was  making  tumult  in 
her  mother's  mind. 

"  I've  no  doubt  he  is  a  very  nice  boy/' 
she  said,  smoothly.  "  Only  I  can't  exactly 
understand  why,  in  his  position,  he  should 
be  quite  —  quite  received  as  he  is." 

There  was  no  trace  of  irritation  or  sneer 
in  the  tones,  yet  Laura  at  once  felt  that 
perhaps  she  had  been  a  little  too  free  in 
her  relations  with  Mr.  Wilton.  Whereby 
were  sown  the  first  seeds  of  self -conscious 
ness  in  her  thoughts. 

"  Well,"  reflected  Mrs.  Lorraine,  some 
short  time  later  as  she  sat  by  the  open  fire 
in  her  dressing-room,  "  this  is  a  charming 
affair.  Laura  almost,  if  not  quite,  in  love 
with  Jack  Wilton !  A  nobody !  No  family ! 
No  money !  "  She  waved  her  hands  indig 
nantly  at  the  glowing  coals.  "  Everything 
spoiled  before  anything  is  done.  I  simply 
won't  have  it."  She  shook  the  cushions 
beside  her,  and  straightened  herself  deci 
sively.  The  sharp,  intent  look  on  the  fair 
face  would  have  been  a  revelation  to  her 
friends.  Of  them  all,  only  Miss  Aspin- 
95 


$H     COUNCILS    OF   CRCESUS      H$- 

wall  had  ever  perceived  the  iron  purposes 
that  lay  under  the  smooth,  graceful  ways 
of  Helen  Lorraine.  Even  she  did  not 
understand  her  as  truly  as  did  Laura. 
Laura  was  the  one  person  in  the  world 
who  appreciated  at  their  true  value  her 
mother's  mighty  determination  and  unfal 
tering  will.  If  the  girl  had  seen  her  now 
and  guessed  the  thoughts  behind  that  fixed 
look,  Mrs.  Lorraine  need  not  have  worried 
any  more  about  Jack  Wilton.  Once  thor 
oughly  realising  her  mother's  point  of 
view,  Laura  would  have  known  too  well 
the  futility  of  trying  to  oppose  her.  The 
young  romance,  if  there  were  one,  had 
died  a  sudden,  hopeless  death.  Fortu 
nately,  or  unfortunately,  it  never  occurred 
to  Mrs.  Lorraine  to  tell  Laura  her  plans. 
Her  principle  was  always  to  gain  her 
points  without  running  the  risk  of  opposi 
tion.  Or,  rather,  as  Miss  Aspinwall  had 
said,  she  hated  disturbances  even  worse 
than  she  hated  defeat.  Consequently,  her 
first  care  was  to  escape  any  kind  of  contra 
diction.  Instead  of  forcing  Laura  to  see 
the  impossibility  of  Jack  Wilton,  she 
96 


therefore  bent  all  her  energies  to  devise 
some  other  way  for  accomplishing  her 
purpose.  When  she  confided  to  Harriet 
Aspinwall  her  wishes  for  Laura,  she  had 
only  hinted  at  the  strength  and  intensity 
of  them.  In  proportion  as  her  own  mar 
riage  was  one  continued  horror,  had  she 
longed  and  determined  to  have  Laura's 
wedded  life  its  exact  opposite.  She  early 
vowed  that  not  one  outside  essential 
should  be  lacking  in  the  man  who  was  to 
be  her  son-in-law.  Her  consent  was  no 
more  to  be  given  to  a  union  with  some 
one  of  the  vapid,  fast  scions  of  New 
York's  multi-millionaires,  than  to  an 
honest,  clean  son  of  the  people.  At  the 
very  height  socially,  morally,  intellec 
tually,  and  financially,  must  this  prospec 
tive  bridegroom  be,  or  she  would  have 
none  of  him.  Doubtless,  ambition  for 
such  a  "  great  alliance "  as  even  New 
York  rarely  witnesses,  had  something  to 
do  with  the  case.  At  least,  however,  she 
believed  that  this  was  the  only  way 
she  could  be  reasonably  sure  of  Laura's 
happiness. 

97 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ^ 

Now,  as  she  carefully  reviewed  the 
evening,  she  felt  more  and  more  strongly 
that  things  were  in  a  precarious  condition. 
Most  certainly  she  had  not  the  slightest 
idea  of  allowing  Laura  to  marry  Jack 
Wilton.  The  question  was,  could  she 
prevent  it  without  war?  War,  she  was 
firmly  convinced,  would  defeat  all  her 
other  plans.  If  she  peremptorily  ordered 
Laura  to  give  up  Jack,  the  girl  would  not 
be  likely  on  top  of  that  to  fancy  the  man 
offered  in  his  stead.  And  although  she 
had  scouted  Miss  Aspinwall's  suggestion 
as  to  the  necessity  of  love,  she  surely 
would  not  drive  Laura  to  a  thoroughly 
distasteful  marriage.  With  a  puzzled 
sigh  she  pulled  the  cushions  from  behind 
her  and  sat  up  to  consider  the  matter 
calmly.  Not  since  the  days  when  her  hus 
band  was  alive,  had  things  seemed  so  diffi 
cult. 

"  I  don't  wonder,"  she  began,  slowly, 
"  that  Laura  is  attracted  by  that  Jack 
Wilton.  Even  the  little  I  saw  made  me 
feel  he  must  be  a  distinct  relief  after  one 


98 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

has  been  satiated  with  Van  Breen,  Vander- 
waren,  and  that  set  of  gilded  fools." 

Once  more  she  saw  the  look  that  was 
on  Laura's  face  in  the  carriage.  "  Ugh !  " 
she  shivered,  picking  up  a  cushion  and 
thrusting  it  impatiently  behind  her. 
"  There's  no  doubt  the  child  has  been 
more  than  a  little  attracted.  Poor  baby! 
Well,  the  one  thing  now  is  to  prevent 
Wilton  from  caring  for  her.  Unless  I  am 
very  far  wrong  he  doesn't  yet,  and  if  that 
is  true  I'll  see  that  he  has  no  more  chances. 
She'll  soon  get  over  it  if  he  doesn't  show 
any  sign  of  reciprocating  her  feeling. 
Maybe  it  will  end  in  our  having  to  leave 
town,  though,"  she  thought  further,  in 
some  dismay.  "  Unless  we  retire  from  the 
world  we  are  likely  to  meet  the  youth 
continually.  Dear  me!  Isn't  there  some 
other  way  out  of  it?  "  As  she  looked  up 
impatiently,  she  caught  a  full-length  re 
flection  of  herself  in  the  glass.  There  was 
good  reason  for  her  involuntary  smile  of 
pleasure.  From  the  tumbled  golden  hair 
and  softly  moulded  face  to  the  dainty 
dressing-gown,  whose  folds  suggested 
99 


^     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

exquisite  lines  of  the  figure  beneath,  it 
was  a  picture  to  bring  delight  to  even  a 
very  troubled  mind.  For  a  minute  she 
studied  the  glass  carefully,  and  then  she 
broke  into  a  low  laugh,  and  nodded  her 
head  saucily. 

'  That  gray  hair  this  morning,"  she 
asserted,  aloud,  "  couldn't  have  been  one 
of  a  family.  I'll  defy  a  microscope  to  find 
any  more.  Really,  who'd  believe  I'm 
thirty-six  if  they  didn't  know  Laura? 
Actually  at  times  that  solemn  child  looks 
as  old  as  her  mother."  The  thought  of 
Laura  brought  back  her  worry,  and  with 
it  a  sudden  light  flashed  over  her  face. 
Her  breath  came  quickly.  Had  she  found 
a  solution  of  the  difficulty?  Slowly  the 
full  significance  of  the  thought  came  to 
her  and  she  sank  back  once  more  among 
the  cushions  with  a  little  gasp  of  triumph. 

"  It  would  be  perfectly  easy,"  she 
mused,  remembering  her  many  undesired 
conquests.  "  And  it  isn't  so  preposterous. 
He  can't  be  very  far  from  thirty,  and  I 
don't  look  a  day  over  twenty-five.  I  am 
afraid  Laura's  dream  is  doomed." 

100 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

For  a  moment  she  felt  keenly  for  the 
girl's  possible  pain.  She  had,  however,  a 
firm  belief  in  the  general  instability  of 
youthful  affections.  Besides,  she  was  per 
suaded  that  she  had  discovered  the  thing 
in  time  to  prevent  any  serious  conse 
quences. 


COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ¥& 


CHAPTER   VII. 

iOCIETY,  so  far  this  season, 
had  seen  comparatively  little 
of  Mr.  Jack  Wilton.  The 
year  before  his  letters  of  in 
troduction  had  given  him  entrance  to  the 
inner  temple  of  New  York's  social  life. 
For  awhile  he  had  been  amused  with  the 
new  experience.  He  was  also,  perhaps, 
rather  flattered  by  the  attention  his  good 
looks  and  good  manners  brought  him. 
But  very  soon  he  grew  bored.  It  was  tire 
some  to  hear  everlastingly  of  race-tracks, 
the  horse-show,  dogs  and  their  ribbons, 
and  the  private  histories  of  prima  donnas 
and  chorus  girls.  Even  the  detours 
towards  golf  and  steam  yachts  were  not 
much  more  diverting.  Moreover,  to  keep 
pace  with  these  people,  and  to  work,  too, 
he  soon  found  impossible.  At  the  time 
of  his  visit  to  the  Oakes,  he  quite  meant 
to  let  "  Society  "  flock  by  itself  without 
him. 

102 


^     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      & 

Yet,  soon  after  the  Van  Bieen  dinner, 
he  found  himself  more  and  more  fre 
quently  at  the  places  where  Mrs.  Lorraine 
and  Laura  were  to  be  met.  No  one,  least 
of  all  Jack  himself,  perceived  how  cleverly 
the  widow  was  managing  things.  At  first 
she  contented  herself  with  being  generally 
charming  and  alluring  whenever  she 
met  the  young  architect.  Laura  at  these 
times  was  either  not  in  evidence  at  all,  or 
else  her  mother  manoeuvred  so  skilfully 
that  any  sort  of  tete-a-tete  between  the 
two  was  practically  impossible.  Soon, 
however,  she  found  that  progress  in  this 
way  was  extremely  slow.  Jack  accepted 
altogether  too  few  invitations.  Then,  one 
night,  when  Laura  was  going  elsewhere, 
she  asked  him  to  join  Miss  Aspinwall,  Mr. 
Dinsmore,  and  herself  at  the  opera. 

On  this  occasion.  Miss  Aspinwall  was 
so  occupied  watching  her  friend  that  Mr. 
Dinsmore  told  her  wrathfully  that  the 
next  time  she  wanted  an  escort  she'd  better 
get  a  messenger  boy. 

"  Sh !  "  replied  the  lady,  with  a  con 
ciliatory  smile.  "  I'm  studying  Helen.  If 


-SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

I  could  only  learn  how  she  does  it!  It 
isn't  wholly  her  beauty,  I'm  convinced. 
There's  a  regular  system  behind  it." 

"  System  for  what  ?  "  said  Mr.  Dins- 
more,  tartly,  not  at  all  appeased. 

"  For  enslaving  the  whole  of  your  can 
tankerous  sex.  If  I  had  it  this  minute 
you'd  be  looking  at  me  the  way  that  boy 
is  at  her,  instead  of  glowering  like  an 
ugly  tom-cat." 

"  If  you  evinced  half  the  interest  in  me 
or  my  doings  that  she's  already  showered 
on  Wilton  and  his  ambitions,  you  might 
find  me  with  a  different  expression." 

"Attention!  That's  just  it!"  Miss 
Aspinwall  looked  at  him  in  admiration. 
"  Aren't  you  bright !  The  next  man  that 
I  like  the  looks  of  I'm  going  to  over 
whelm  with  such  attention  as  he  hasn't 
received  since  he  spoke  pieces  to  his 
mother's  friends.  Maybe  7  shall  be 
properly  appreciated  then." 

Mr.  Dinsmore  said  something  in  his 
throat,  and  devoted  the  rest  of  the  evening 
to  listening  strictly  to  the  music. 

Meanwhile  Jack  was  finding  himself 
104 


'"YOU'D    BE    LOOKING    AT    ME   THE    WAY    THAT    BOY 
IS    AT    HER'" 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

delightfully  understood  and  sympathised 
with.  His  ambitions  were  grasped  before 
he  had  explained  them,  his  aims  were  ap 
plauded,  he  himself  was  enveloped  in  a 
subtle  aroma  of  intelligent  flattery  that 
made  him  feel  the  peer  of  world-known 
geniuses.  And  it  was  all  done  by  the  most 
beautiful  woman  he  had  ever  met.  Before 
the  evening  was  over,  he  was  quite  ready 
to  take  back  all  the  slurs  and  slings  he  had 
flung  at  "  Society."  Surely,  if  such  a 
woman  was  the  product  of  that  same 
society,  he  must  have  grossly  misjudged 
the  whole  class!  Was  it  any  wonder, 
after  this,  that  Mrs.  Lorraine  found  little 
difficulty  in  seeing  as  much  as  she  wished 
of  the  young  architect?  It  was  only 
necessary  to  mention  that  she  was  to  be 
at  such  and  such  a  place  to  be  pretty  sure 
of  finding  Jack  there  also.  At  the  same 
time,  she  managed  that  he  should  see 
very  little  of  Laura.  During  these  weeks 
of  her  campaign,  the  young  widow's  tact 
prevented  even  the  busiest  busybody  from 
mistrustine  how  much  she  and  young 
Wilton  were  top-ether.  She  knew  too  well 
105 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

how  often  gossip  spoils  the  most  innocent 
of  friendships.  Besides  which,  though  her 
object  was  his  entire  conquest,  it  was  only 
for  the  purpose  of  preventing  his  attach 
ment  to  Laura.  She  was  considerate 
enough  not  to  wish  him  to  be  curiously 
watched  or  pitied  by  the  outside  world.  As 
the  weeks  went  on  and  they  saw  more  and 
more  of  each  other,  she  began  by  degrees 
to  be  genuinely  sorry  that  he  had  not  the 
necessary  position,  socially  and  financially, 
to  be  acceptable  as  Laura's  husband.  The 
unspoiled  enthusiasms,  the  clear  vigour  of 
thought,  the  real  sweetness  of  a  clean 
nature,  along  with  inherent  strength  and 
dignity,  were  so  apparent  in  the  boy  that 
she  sometimes  wondered  if  the  lack  of 
those  two  worldly  attributes  might  not  be 
ignored.  Probably  what  kept  her  original 
purpose  firm  was  the  continued  presence 
in  town  of  Sir  Robert  Martinmas.  She 
\vas  seeing  him  nearly  as  often  as  Jack 
Wilton,  and  she  still  found  nothing  which 
made  her  change  her  first  opinion  of  him. 
He  was  the  ideal  —  with  none  of  Jack's 
limitations. 

106 


3%     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

If  gossip  was  quiet  as  regards  Jack  and 
Mrs.  Lorraine,  it  was  rife  over  the  baro 
net.  Any  one  could  see  that  he  never 
missed  a  chance  to  be  at  the  charming 
widow's,  and  speculation  was  busy  as  to 
whether  he  was  most  attracted  by  mother 
or  daughter.  Mrs.  Lorraine's  designs, 
again,  she  was  careful  to  keep  to  herself. 
But  at  least  she  had  succeeded  in  making 
Laura  and  Sir  Robert  excellent  friends. 
As  yet,  certainly,  there  had  never  been 
such  a  look  on  the  girl's  face  when  he 
was  under  discussion  as  she  had  surprised 
after  the  Van  Breen  dinner.  On  the  other 
hand,  she  had  seen  nothing  like  it  again 
when  Jack  was  near.  Altogether,  things 
were  going  much  to  her  liking.  Though 
she  did  not  consider  it  safe  to  abandon 
her  siege  of  Jack's  affections,  she  felt  sure 
enough  of  his  admiration  and  need  of  her 
to  allow  him  and  Laura  somewhat  more 
freedom  in  meeting. 

During  these  weeks  Miss  Aspinwall  had 

been  too  occupied  with  certain  perplexities 

of  her  own  to  spend  much  time  trying  to 

unravel  other  people's  mysteries.     Occa- 

107 


•SH      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      & 

sionally,  however,  she  discovered  herself 
putting  together  Mrs.  Lorraine's  present 
attitude  toward  Mr.  Jack  Wilton  and  her 
former  emphatic  remarks  about  the  kind 
of  man  she  could  contemplate  for  son-in- 
law.  Along  with  these  reflections  came 
remembrances  of  certain  slight  happen 
ings  at  the  Oakes. 

"  I  wonder,"  she  said  one  day  to  Mr. 
Dinsmore,  "  if  interference  in  one's 
friend's  affairs  is  always  as  useless  as  it 
is  impertinent?  " 

"  I'd  put  it  the  other  way.  Is  it  always 
as  impertinent  as  it  is  useless  ?  Undoubt 
edly,  it  is  always  the  latter.  I  should  be 
the  last  to  say  it  was  the  former  to  you/' 
Mr.  Dinsmore  was  feeling  unpleasant. 
He  had  just  made  his  monthly  request  to 
have  his  portrait  painted,  only  to  receive 
the  equally  regular  refusal. 

Miss  Aspinwall  gave  him  a  scornful 
glance.  "  The  manners  of  most  people," 
she  remarked,  with  cutting  emphasis, 
"  aren't  improved  by  continual  association 
with  jockeys  and  dog  breeders." 

"  I  don't  know  that  they  would  be  any 
1 08 


3H      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

better  in  ward  politics  or  philanthropic 
slumming,"  said  he,  drumming  uncon 
cernedly  on  the  window-pane. 

Miss  Aspinwall  sat  down  on  a  pile  of 
canvases,  and  began  to  clean  her  palette. 
"  Tom  Dinsmore,  I've  interfered  for  the 
last  time  in  your  affairs.  If  you  want  to 
waste  your  money,  squander  your  time, 
and  throw  a\vay  your  brains  by  just  doing 
nothing  all  the  rest  of  your  days,  you 
can.  I'll  never  say  another  word."  She 
was  conscious  of  a  note  of  wounded  pride 
in  her  tones,  and  she  stopped  abruptly, 
and  then  went  on  with  elaborate  indiffer 
ence.  "After  all,  because  your  father  left 
a  name  that  all  New  York  honours,  why 
should  it  be  expected  that  his  son  would 
be  like  him?  " 

The  man  by  the  window  bit  his  lip,  and 
stopped  drumming.  Then  he  turned  to 
the  painter  with  a  whimsical  smile. 
"  Come,  Harry,  don't  be  too  hard.  You 
know  what  the  old  gentleman  used  to 
say  when  you  tried  to  pull  my  hair  in 
our  nursery  days." 

"  *  Harriet,  you're  quite  right.  The 
109 


3H     COUNCILS   OF   CRCESUS     HS- 

young  rascal  deserves  to  lose  every  hair  of 
his  head.  But  I'm  afraid  total  baldness 
won't  change  the  nature  of  the  animal. 
And,  besides,  there  wouldn't  be  any  hair 
left  to  pull  next  time.' '  With  her  head 
on  one  side  and  her  eyes  half-closed,  she 
quoted  with  the  exact  inflection  of  the 
original  utterance. 

Mr.  Dinsmore's  laugh  was  a  little 
hoarse.  "  And  do  you  remember  how  I 
always  made  peace  with  you  on  such  occa 
sions  ?  "  He  dropped  on  one  knee,  and 
clasped  his  hands  over  his  breast. 
"  '  Please,  I'm  very  bad,  and  I'm  very 
sorry.  I  love  you  very  much,  and  I'll 
try  to  be  gooder.' ' 

His  eyes  were  lowered  in  deep  humility, 
or  he  might  have  seen  a  sudden  tender 
ness  in  hers. 

"  If  you'll  be  gooder,  I'll  forgive  you. 
And  you  are  just  as  likely  to  reform  now 
as  you  were  then."  The  unusual  softness 
in  her  voice  made  the  suppliant  lift  his 
head  quickly.  But  she  had  already  turned 
her  attention  to  her  palette.  "  What  I 
started  to  say,"  she  said,  coolly,  "  had 

I  10 


3H     COUNCILS    OF'  CRCESUS     H£ 

reference  to  young  Wilton  and  Helen  Lor 
raine.  What  do  you  suppose  he  thinks  of 
all  the  attention  she's  lavishing  upon 
him  ?  " 

"  I've  no  means  of  probing  the  thinking 
department  of  that  youngster.  /  should 
say  he'd  got  a  superb  cinch." 

"  I'm  not  so  sure."  She  shook  her  head. 
"  Helen's  not  doing  all  that  for  fun." 

"What  for,  then?  She's  certainly  en 
joying  it  too  well  for  it  to  be  duty." 

"  Maybe.  But  I  feel  sometimes  as  if 
Jack  ought  to  be  warned." 

"Of  what?" 

"  Well,  —  that  Helen  would  never  con 
sent  to  his  being  Laura's  husband,  for 
instance. 

"Laura!  what's  Laura  to  do  with  it? 
You  must  have  a  bee  in  your  own  bonnet ! 
Just  you  let  'em  alone.  He's  got  to  have 
experience,  anyway.  I  should  say  he  was 
getting  it  dead  easy." 

Nevertheless,  the  next  time  Miss  Aspin- 
wall  saw  Jack  Wilton,  she  couldn't  resist 
investigating.  It  was  at  the  opening  night 
of  a  loan  exhibition  at  the  Union  League 


SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

Club,  where  one  of  her  canvases  held  a 
post  of  honour.  She  was  looking  at  a 
noted  Whistler  on  the  other  side  of  the 
room  when  Mr.  Wilton  joined  her. 

"  Why,  yes,"  he  said,  in  answer  to  her 
admiring  reflections,  "  it's  beautiful,  in  its 
own  dark,  retiring  way.  But  I  always 
wonder  if  Whistler  really  sees  people 
mahogany  coloured." 

"  That's  not  mahogany  colour,"  re 
torted  Miss  Aspinwall.  laughing. 

"  Well,  no,  it  certainly  hasn't  the  bloom 
and  shine  of  it.  But  I  don't  call  it  flesh, 
either.  I  believe  he  paints  everybody  in  a 
dim,  gray  closet.  Perhaps  his  result  is 
poetry,  but  I  don't  see  how  any  one  can 
call  it  portraiture  of  living  people.  Now 
you,  over  there  in  your  '  Cavalier,'  you've 
got  glowing,  pulsating  flesh.  And  /  think 
you  have  poetry,  too.  I'd  like  to  have  you 
paint  my  father,  or  any  one  dear  to  me." 

Miss  Aspinwall  made  a  bow.  "  That's 
what  I  call  the  proper  spirit,"  she  laughed, 
"  to  be  willing  to  back  up  one's  opinions 
so  practically.  I  wish  you'd  persuade  Mrs. 


112 


UNION    LEAGUE    CLUB 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

Lorraine  to  agree  with  you,"  she  added. 
"  I  want  to  paint  her." 

"  Wouldn't  she  be  a  glorious  subject!  " 
The  unqualified  enthusiasm  made  the 
painter  smile. 

"  But  she  will  sit,  she  says,  only  just 
long  enough  ahead  of  the  event  to  have  the 
picture  done  for  Laura's  wedding  day." 
She  wanted  to  watch  the  effect  of  her 
words  on  Jack's  face,  but  an  acquaintance 
at  that  moment  caught  her  eye.  By  the 
time  she  had  bowed  in  return,  whatever 
expression  might  have  appeared  on  the 
open  countenance  before  her,  nothing  was 
left  but  a  smiling  question.  "  And  I  tell 
her,"  she  went  on,  plaintively,  "  that  con 
sidering  her  iron  regulations,  by  the  time 
that  occurrence  takes  place,  she's  likely 
to  be  gray  and  wizzled." 

"What  are  the  iron  regulations?"  he 
said,  almost  too  carelessly,  she  thought. 

"  Mrs.  Lorraine's  marriage  was  not  a 
happy  one,"  she  began,  slowly.  "  No  one 
ever  speaks  of  it,  but  everybody  knows 
that  much.  She  is  determined  to  prevent 
any  such  possibility  in  Laura's  life." 
"3 


•SH     COUNCILS   OF   CRCESUS      H£ 

"  Any  mother  would  do  the  same." 

"  Yes,  but  perhaps  not  in  the  same  way. 
The  man  who  marries  Laura  must  have 
everything.  He's  got  to  stand  at  the  very 
top,  morally  and  intellectually  and  physi 
cally.  And  she  doesn't  stop  there.  He 
must  have  besides  everything  that  money, 
birth,  and  social  position  can  give.  Take 
it  altogether,  there  really  aren't  many  men 
around  New  York  to  fill  the  require 
ments."  She  did  not  try  to  look  at  him 
this  time.  She  was  apparently  studying 
the  small  Sargent  next  the  Whistler. 

For  a  moment  there  was  silence.  Then, 
before  it  grew  too  awkward,  the  young 
architect  spoke  cheerfully.  "  Oh,  I  don't 
know.  They're  not  so  scarce.  I  could 
think  of  two  right  off  who'd  fill  the  bill." 

Miss  Aspinwall  thanked  her  stars  for 
the  tone.  "  It's  more  than  I  can.  If  it 
isn't  too  inquisitive,  who  are  they?  " 

"  You  certainly  ought  to  know  better 
than  I  do."  There  was  a  twinkle  in  his 
eyes.  "  Mr.  Dinsmore  is  one." 

The  woman  laughed.  "  Tom  Dins- 
more!  My  dear  boy,  you  don't  begin  to 
114 


3H     COUNCILS    OF   CRCESUS      H5- 

appreciate  Mrs.  Lorraine's  point  of  view. 
He  doesn't  come  up  to  any  of  her  require 
ments,  unless  it's  in  mere  social  standing." 

"  Well,  I  think  he's  immense,"  said 
Jack,  stubbornly,  with  what  the  painter 
thought  delightful  loyalty.  "  But  I  guess 
he  isn't  in  the  market,"  he  added,  with  a 
flash  of  fun. 

"Who's  the  other?"  questioned  she, 
blandly. 

"  Sir  Robert  Martinmas.  Only  he's  too 
old." 

"  He  isn't  more  than  thirty-seven  or 
eight.  No  older  than  Mr.  Dinsmore. 
Yes,  do  you  know,  strictly  entre  nous,  I 
have  thought  of  him  myself.  He  really 
is  a  fine  fellow.  Even  Mrs.  Lorraine 
might  be  satisfied  with  him." 

"  I  suppose  Miss  Lorraine's  opinion 
would  count  for  something,"  he  said,  very 
quietly. 

"  Suppositions  are  much  like  circum 
stantial  evidence,  —  frequently  far  from 
the  truth.  Laura's  opinion  is  quite  beside 
the  question,  because  she  will  undoubtedly 
agree  absolutely  with  her  mother."  Miss 
"5 


3%     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

Aspinwall  looked  her  listener  straight  in 
the  face  as  she  finished.  Somewhat  to 
her  surprise,  although  she  thought  there 
was  a  faint  flush  on  his  cheeks,  there  was 
only  amused  interest  in  his  eyes. 

Later  in  the  evening,  she  watched  him 
curiously,  as  he  stood  talking  to  Mrs. 
Lorraine.  "  What  a  stunning  couple  they 
make,"  she  said  to  herself.  "  I  wonder, 
after  all,  if  it  is  possible  —  '  She  did  not 
finish  the  thought,  unless  it  was  what  she 
presently  put  into  words  to  Mr.  Dinsmore. 

"  Tom,  you  were  quite  right.  An  ordi 
nary  human  mortal  is  a  fool  to  attempt 
any  interference  with  other  people's 
plans." 

"  Which,  though  undoubtedly  true,  need 
not  make  you  tongue-tied,  so  far  as  I  am 
concerned,"  he  answered,  with  soothing 
magnanimity. 


116 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

HE  season  had  been  a  fast 
and  furious  one,  even  for 
New  York's  pace.  An  un 
usual  number  of  "  buds,"  and 
the  presence  of  several  titled  foreigners, 
had  kept  the  matrimonial  market  in  an 
ever  increasing  fever  of  speculation. 
Laura's  long  and  daily  walk,  that  she  was 
never  allowed  to  neglect,  had  been  the 
cause,  her  mother  was  assured,  of  her 
showing  the  strain  so  little.  A  bit  of 
added  delicacy,  and  perhaps  a  slight  in 
crease  in  her  soft  quietness  were  the  only 
changes  so  close  an  observer  as  Miss 
Aspinwall  found.  As  for  Mrs.  Lorraine 
herself,  though  unlike  her  daughter  in 
many  ways,  she  had  the  same  unhurried 
calm  that  seldom  allowed  itself  to  get 
uselessly  stirred  or  excited. 

"  The  fact  is,"  as  Miss  Aspinwall  had 
more  than  once  remarked,  "  there  really 
is  no  reason  for  Helen  to  fuss  and  fume 
117 


^     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     ¥& 

in  an  effort  to  outdo  others.  The  Lord 
Almighty  outdid  Himself  when  he  fash 
ioned  her,  and  it  isn't  likely  she  has  got 
to  take  any  further  trouble.  She  simply 
has  to  be.  The  rest  of  us  may  do  all  the 
hopping  round  and  worrying  we  please. 
It  only  makes  us  red  in  the  face  and  shows 
up  her  unruffled  freshness  the  more  ef 
fectively." 

This  season,  however,  even  Mrs.  Lor 
raine  had  not  found  everything  quite  as 
easily  arranged.  It  was  difficult  enough 
always  to  keep  undesirable  men  at  a  safe 
distance  from  Laura.  It  also  required 
extremely  skilful  generalship  to  see  just 
enough,  not  too  much,  of  Sir  Robert  Mar 
tinmas.  Besides  this,  she  was  continually 
bothered  with  suitors  for  her  own  hand. 

"  I  believe  it  would  prevent  a  lot  of 
trouble,"  she  told  Miss  Aspinwall,  "  if  I 
went  about  placarded.  '  No  husbands 
need  apply  '  would  make  a  nice  sign,  and 
save  my  saying  it." 

"  You'd  have  to  have  something 
stronger  than  that,"  answered  her  friend. 
''Let  me  see,  —  it  must  go  like  this: 
118 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

'  Gentlemen !  Take  notice !  My  com 
plexion  is  manufactured;  my  hair  is  a 
wig ;  my  gowns  are  all  padded ;  my  smile 
is  automatic;  my  teeth  are  false;  my 
fortune  has  departed.'  Nothing  less 
emphatic  would  save  you.  And,  after  all, 
supposing  it  worked?"  she  shook  her 
head  lugubriously,  "  how  miserable  you 
would  be!  " 

"  I  am  much  more  miserable  trying  to 
evade  idiotic  protestations." 

"  Well,  now,  why  don't  you  lend  an 
attentive  ear  to  some  one  of  your  swains  ? 
You  have  the  pick  of  the  city." 

"  Thank  you.  I'm  not  making  another 
marital  experiment,"  said  Mrs.  Lorraine, 
coldly. 

"  But,  after  all,  Helen,  every  man  in 
town  isn't  another  Dick  Lorraine." 

"  Heaven  forbid.  But  the  thought  of 
marriage  again  is  none  the  less  horrible. 
Those  seventeen  bound  years,  Harriet, 
were  enough  to  last  me  for  eternity." 

"  And  yet  you  are  planning  for  Laura 
to  marry." 

"  Rather,  I  am  sure  she  will  marry, 
119 


•SH      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

sooner  or  later.  I  wish  to  make  the  event 
as  little  dangerous  as  may  be.  By  the 
way,  why  don't  you  get  married  yourself, 
instead  of  urging  the  state  on  your 
friends?" 

"  My  dear  Helen,"  drawled  Miss  As- 
pinwall,  "  I  never  urged  any  state  on  any 
friend.  I  was  merely  asking  an  innocent 
question.  And  as  for  my  marrying,  — 
really,  I've  never  quite  decided  that  I  ap 
proved  of  a  woman  popping  the  question. 
It  doesn't  seem  exactly  to  belong  to  my 
list  of  \voman's  rights.  Besides,  in  spite 
of  springing  such  a  trap  on  a  man,  he 
might  have  his  wits  sufficiently  about  him 
to  escape.  And  that,"  she  leaned  her  head 
back  against  the  crimson  chair  and  sighed 
deeply,  "  that  would  be  mortifying  for 
the  feminine  owner  of  the  trap." 

Mrs.  Lorraine  laughed.  "  What  a 
fraud  you  are,  Harriet  Aspinwall!  Just 
as  if  I  didn't  know  that  there's  not  a 
woman  in  New  York  who  has  had  more 
men  absolutely  mad  over  her  than  you 
have." 

"  Mad  ?      My    dear   girl,    I    have   met 


SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

plenty  of  —  peculiar  men.  But  really,  I 
never  conversed  with  a  mad  one  in  my 
life.  Unless  you  are  referring  to  that 
ordinary  masculine  loss  of  temper,  — 
which  is,  I  must  admit,  not  rare." 

Mrs.  Lorraine  scorned  to  pay  any  at 
tention.  "  At  this  very  minute  you  are 
keeping  poor  Tom  Dinsmore  on  the  rack, 
• —  and  for  that  matter  have  kept  him  there 
for  years.  If  you  don't  want  him,  why 
don't  you  let  some  other  woman  have 
him?" 

Miss  Aspinwall  held  up  her  hands  in 
admiration.  "  My  dear,  the  role  of  public 
benefactor  is  vastly  becoming  to  you.  I'll 
tell  Tom  the  kindly  interest  you  take  in 
his  affairs." 

There  was  something  in  the  painter's 
voice  Mrs.  Lorraine  did  not  like.  "  Har 
riet,"  she  said,  putting  her  hand  on  the 
other's  shoulder,  "  don't  be  feline.  I  don't 
want  to  interfere  in  your  affairs,  Heaven 
knows.  But,  —  somehow,  —  Tom  has 
thought  so  much  of  you  for  years,  —  and 
you  seem  so  congenial,  —  why  don't  you 
marry  him,  Harriet?  " 

121 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

"  And  this  reviler  of  matrimony  will 
ing  to  immolate  her  best  friend !  "  mocked 
Miss  Aspinwall.  Then,  suddenly,  she 
bent  her  head  and  kissed  the  hand  on  her 
shoulder,  after  which  she  walked  over 
to  the  fireplace  and  stood  looking  into  the 
dancing  flames.  "  Mr.  Thomas  Dins- 
more,"  she  began,  very  quietly,  "  has  been 
used  to  having  just  what  he  pleased,  all 
his  life.  Consequently  most  things  have 
lost  their  savour.  If  by  chance  there  is 
something  he  fancies,  that  remains  per 
sistently  out  of  his  reach,  his  taste  for 
it  increases.  But  you  can  be  morally  sure 
that  complete  attainment  would  quite 
destroy  his  craving  for  the  fruit." 

Mrs.  Lorraine  looked  at  the  slight, 
curving  figure  with  the  well-poised  head, 
silhouetted  against  the  firelight,  and  a 
puzzled  frown  crossed  her  brow.  "  If 
you're  comparing  a  gifted  woman  and  a 
lifelong  friendship  to  a  pomegranate  out 
of  reach,  I  think  you  do  yourself  as  well 
as  Tom  much  injustice." 

Miss  Aspinwall  turned  with  a  whirl. 
"  Helen  Lorraine,  I've  known  that  same 

122 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

Tom  for  thirty  years.  In  all  that  time 
he's  never  given  me  proof  either  that  he'd 
risk  his  neck  to  get  the  pomegranate  or, 
that,  once  picked,  he'd  keep  his  appetite 
for  it  long  enough  to  know  its  real  fla 
vour."  She  ended  abruptly,  with  a  little 
cynical  laugh. 

The  other's  face  expressed  a  plain 
amaze  which  did  not  leave  it  till  long 
after  Miss  Aspinwall's  departure.  "  I 
almost  believe,"  she  said  to  herself  at 
length,  "  I  really  almost  believe  Harriet 
is  in  love  with  him."  And  something — > 
it  was  perhaps  the  wonder  of  it  all  — 
seemed  to  send  a  queer  ache  into  her  own 
heart. 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Lorraine,"  came  Jack  Wil 
ton's  boyish  voice  at  this  moment,  "  may 
I  come  in?  " 

"  Indeed  you  may,"  she  said,  with  un 
feigned  pleasure.  "  I  believe  you  are  just 
in  time  to  drive  away  a  fit  of  the  blues." 

"You  and  the  blues!"  expostulated 
Jack,  as  he  deposited  a  big  paper  roll  on 
the  table.  "  I  can't  imagine  such  a  con 
junction!  " 

123 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     ^ 

"  There  are  various  things,  Sir  Knight, 
that  you  can't  imagine.  Wait  till  you 
are  my  age  and  then  see." 

"  Your  age !  "  Jack  threw  back  his 
head  with  a  shout.  "  I'm  older  than  you 
this  minute  in  everything  that  makes  age." 
His  extremely  apparent  admiration,  as  he 
stood  looking  at  her,  made  Mrs.  Lor 
raine  faintly  uneasy. 

"What  is  it  this  time?"  she  said, 
pointing  to  the  roll. 

His  eyes  sparkled.  "  Mr.  Griswold  has 
given  me  the  Tabor  contract  to  do  exactly 
as  I  please  with.  Isn't  that  magnificent! 
I've  brought  up  some  rough  outlines  of 
the  house  to  show  you.  I  never  dreamed 
he'd  let  me  do  it." 

"  Griswold  has  more  sense  than  I 
credited  him  with,"  she  said,  approvingly. 

Something  in  her  face  made  him  look 
at  her  keenly.  "  Did  you  —  did  Mr. 
Griswold  —  did  you  make  —  :'  he  blun 
dered  helplessly,  while  she  laughed,  tor- 
mentingly.  :'  You  asked  him  to  let  me 
do  it,"  he  blurted,  finally,  and  his  listener 
detected  disappointment  in  the  words. 
124 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      $& 

"  My  dear  boy/'  she  put  her  hand 
lightly  on  his  arm,  "  you  needn't  worry. 
I  never  did  anything  of  the  kind.  Noth 
ing  would  induce  me  to  ask  Mr.  Griswold 
for  anything.  He's  altogether  too  con 
trary  minded.  I've  even  taken  pains  not 
to  make  too  many  complimentary  remarks 
about  you.  Now  are  you  satisfied  ? " 
She  looked  at  him  teasingly. 

"  I  don't  know  why  you  are  so  good 
to  me,"  he  said,  humbly. 

"  Because  I  love  to  look  at  lines  and 
angles  and  criss-crosses  and  all  such  de 
lightful  things  on  nice  white  paper.  Do 
hurry  up  and  show  me  what  you  have 
there." 

She  was  thinking  of  this  talk  a  few 
nights  later  at  a  dinner  given  by  Miss 
Aspinwall  in  honour  of  Amy  Tileston's 
engagement  to  Arthur  Upton.  The  host 
ess  had  whispered  before  they  went  into 
the  dining-room,  "  Do  you  mind,  Helen, 
if  I  let  Jack  Wilton  take  out  Laura?" 
And  Laura's  mother  smilingly  gave  her 
consent  to  what,  a  few  weeks  back,  she 
never  would  have  allowed. 
125 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

As  she  looked  down  the  table  and  noted 
Laura's  sweet,  quiet  face,  expressing  just 
the  proper  amount  of  interest,  she  felt 
a  wave  of  triumphant  satisfaction.  How 
well  everything  had  gone !  She  really 
wondered  at  the  ease  with  which  she  had 
accomplished  her  purpose.  That  she  had 
so  quickly  captured  Jack  was  not  unex 
pected.  She  knew  her  power  over  men 
too  well  to  have  felt  any  serious  doubts 
about  that.  At  the  same  time,  she 
acknowledged  with  some  amusement,  the 
young  architect's  homage  was  of  an 
unusual  variety.  His  admiration  was 
frankly  boundless;  he  continually  came 
to  her  for  advice  and  sympathy,  —  noth 
ing  he  did  was  quite  right  without  her 
approval.  Yet,  she  was  pretty  sure  that 
he  had  never  once  lost  his  head;  he  was 
not  actually  in  love  with  her.  It  was  her 
vanity,  she  supposed,  that  gave  a  little 
twinge  at  this  point  in  her  reflections. 
After  all,  it  was  better  so.  She  had  grown 
too  fond  of  the  boy  to  wish  to  do  him 
any  harm.  As  for  Laura.  —  here  things 
were  different.  She  couldn't  get  over  her 
126 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     H£ 

surprise  at  the  way  the  girl  took  the 
whole  affair.  Sometimes  she  almost  be 
lieved  that  she  had  misinterpreted  Laura's 
feelings  in  the  beginning.  Nothing  else 
seemed  to  account  for  her  placid  acquies 
cence.  Never  once  since  the  Van  Breen 
dinner  had  Mrs.  Lorraine  seen  that  tell 
tale  flush  and  tremulous  smile  which  so 
alarmed  her  then.  And  yet,  she  certainly 
did  see  them  that  night.  Altogether, 
Laura's  attitude  was  something  of  a  puz 
zle.  She  was  inclined  to  think,  however, 
that  her  prompt  measures  had  summarily 
nipped  in  the  bud  what  would  have  been 
a  dangerous  infatuation. 

In  the  midst  of  her  self-absorption  she 
suddenly  became  conscious  that  Mr. 
Weathersby  must  have  asked  her  a  direct 
question,  of  which  she  had  not  caught  a 
word. 

"  Do  forgive  me,"  she  said,  contritely, 
"  those  young  people  at  the  other  end  are 
making  so  much  noise  I'm  fairly  deaf." 

"  I  only  remarked  that  that  young  Wil 
ton  was  as  fine  a  fellow  as  there  is  in 
the  city.  I'm  glad  to  see  him  with  Laura. 
127 


SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

You  couldn't  do  better  by  her,  Helen, 
than  to  run  that  into  a  double-quick 
match.  They're  made  for  each  other." 

Mrs.  Lorraine  smiled  good-naturedly, 
wondering,  lazily,  why  old  men  always 
said  exactly  the  wrong  thing  at  the  wrong 
time. 

"  Jack,"  she  said,  after  dinner,  "  Mr. 
Weathersby  has  been  settling  your  future 
for  you  with  the  calmness  of  a  Hindoo 
fortune-teller." 

The  young  architect  turned  suddenly 
pale  and  he  bent  toward  her  swiftly. 
"  He  isn't  the  one  to  foretell  my  future. 
Mrs.  Lorraine,"  the  tense  voice  paused 
for  a  second  and  she  held  her  breath,  she 
scarcely  knew  why.  "  You  have  been 
very  kind  to  me  these  past  weeks.  So 
kind  that  I  am  going  to  ask  you  some 
thing  I  might  otherwise  never  have  dared 
to  ask."  The  colour  had  not  come  back 
to  his  face.  Though  his  voice  did  not 
tremble,  he  used  it  carefully,  as  if  the 
weight  of  the  words  might  break  it. 

Unconsciously  the  young  widow  half 
reached  her  hand  to  him.  With  a  quick 
128 


^H     COUNCILS    OF   CRCESUS      H£ 

impulse  he  took  it  in  both  of  his  and  held 
it  tight,  while  his  eyes  pleaded  bravely. 

"  May  I  ask  you  now?  "  he  whispered. 

The  slender  hand  shrank  in  his  eager 
clasp,  and  the  fair  face  before  him  grew 
very  white.  For  one  brief  moment  Mrs. 
Lorraine  thought  she  was  going  to  faint. 
With  a  gasp  she  slowly  recovered  herself 
and  loosed  her  hand.  If  there  was  an 
unusual  gleam  of  fire  in  the  half-veiled 
eyes,  Jack  did  not  see  it. 

"  Perhaps  I  know  what  you  would 
ask,"  she  said,  a  little  unsteadily.  "  But 
you  must  not  ask  it  yet.  WTait  awhile." 

His  eyes  glowed  as  he  leaned  toward 
her  and  said,  breathlessly,  "  When,  then, 
Mrs.  Lorraine,  when?" 

"  I  think,"  she  answered,  "  I  think  you 
may  ask  me  three  weeks  from  to-day." 

"And  will  you  say  yes?"  he  cried, 
trying  to  take  her  hand  again. 

"  You  have  asked  it  three  weeks  too 
soon,"  she  replied. 

But  as  she  left  him  he  caught  a  fleeting 
backward  glance  that  smiled  an  affirma 
tive  answer. 

129 


COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS 


CHAPTER   IX, 

111111111 ITH  her  face  buried  in  the 

W!S$  soft    cushions.    Helen    Lor- 
9H 
jEO  raine  lay  on  her  couch  that 

lJIIJII;!  evening,  for  the  first  time 
in  her  life  conscious  of  her  full 
womanhood.  She  had  always  taken  it 
for  granted  that  she  was  incapable  of 
great  love.  Indeed,  she  had  doubted  if, 
after  all,  love  between  man  and  woman 
was  anything  but  a  sham.  She  never 
thought  that  the  very  intensity  of  her 
loathing  for  her  husband  was  evidence  in 
itself  that  her  nature  could  be  as  deeply 
stirred  by  love.  But  to-night,  as  she  lay 
prone  among  the  cushions,  she  knew  that 
she  cared  for  Jack  Wilton  with  an  aban 
donment  that  thrilled  and  awed  her  by 
its  strength  and  power.  The  suddenness 
of  this  undreamed-of  thing  made  her 
realise  how  overwhelming  a  change  had 
come  upon  her.  Until  Jack  spoke,  she 
had  never  thought  of  caring  for  him.  It 
130 


$H      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     ^ 

was  only  when  she  saw  the  repressed  pas 
sion  in  his  eyes  and  heard  his  low  vibrant 
voice  that,  with  a  shock  like  a  rush  of 
stifling  waters,  she  stood  facing  her  in 
most  self. 

The  minutes  slipped  away  into  the 
quarter,  the  half,  the  hour,  and  still  she 
lay  there.  Time  had  ceased  to  be.  Alone 
with  her  opened  heart  she  drank  in  with 
thirsty  gasps  this  new  elixir  of  life  and 
joy.  Through  her  whole  being  the  won 
derful,  strange  sweetness  permeated,  till 
from  a  very  awe  of  happiness  she  could 
bear  no  more.  With  a  sudden  surge,  the 
years  of  dry  bitterness  and  the  rubbish 
of  conventionality  were  swept  away;  the 
flood-gates  were  opened,  and  Helen  Lor 
raine  lay  there  weeping  as  she  had  never 
wept  before. 

It  seemed  hours  after  that  she  finally  sat 
up,  and  forced  herself  once  more  to  think 
and  plan  calmly. 

"  People  will  call  me  a  fool,"  she  said. 
"  A  fool  for  taking  the  only  chance  for 
happiness  I  have  ever  had!  Oh,  Jack! 


-SH      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

I  never  dreamed  what  would  come  of 
my  endeavour  to  keep  you  from  Laura !  " 
It  was  the  first  time  she  had  remem 
bered  the  child.  Some  of  the  radiance  in 
her  face  paled.  With  full  determination 
there  came  back  the  thought  that  was 
only  half  consciously  in  her  mind  when 
she  put  Jack  off.  Laura's  future  must  be 
settled  before  she  gave  her  final  answer 
—  and  herself  —  to  him.  One  of  her 
reasons  for  feeling  this  so  strongly  was 
because  Sir  Robert  Martinmas  was  soon 
to  leave  the  city.  She  was  not  altogether 
pleased  with  the  progress  of  affairs  be 
tween  him  and  Laura.  She  suspected 
that  she  would  have  to  use  all  her  tact  and 
management  to  bring  things  to  a  satis 
factory  state  before  his  departure.  Her 
own  head  she  knew  must  be  clear  and 
cool  during  the  next  few  weeks.  "  And 
I'm  afraid,"  she  said  to  herself,  with  a 
little  ecstatic  thrill,  "  that  there  might  be 
some  doubt  of  that  clear-headedness  if 
Jack  knew  the  truth."  Underneath  all 
was  the  thought  that  till  Laura  was  safely 
provided  for  she  could  not  take  her  own 
132 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

happiness.  She  instinctively  felt  that  it 
would  be  easier  for  the  girl  not  to  hear  of 
her  mother's  engagement  until  she  herself 
was  provided  for.  To  give  herself  as 
free  a  mind  and  hand  as  possible  she  de 
termined  to  see  very  little  of  Jack  for  the 
next  three  weeks.  She  would  devote  her 
entire  time  and  energies  to  bringing  Laura 
and  the  baronet  together. 

The  pale  flush  of  the  dawn  had  almost 
turned  to  the  brilliance  of  full  morning 
when  she  finally  prepared  for  bed.  Then 
as  sleep  slipped  over  her  tired  eyelids, 
all  plans  and  questions  fled.  Into  the 
tissue  of  her  dreams  were  woven  the 
golden  threads  that  Love  alone  knows 
how  to  spin. 

During  the  following  two  weeks  Helen 
Lorraine  lived  in  a  world  of  throbbing 
happiness.  She  revelled  with  a  joyous 
abandon  in  the  hitherto  unsuspected 
depths  of  her  own  nature.  Where  a 
younger  and  more  happily  inexperienced 
woman  would  have  said,  "  He  loves  me," 
she  thought  oftener,  "  I  love  him."  That 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      & 

she  could  so  love,  fairly  flooded  her  soul 
with  its  own  delight. 

Meanwhile  she  bent  all  her  efforts 
toward  hurrying  a  settlement  between 
Laura  and  Sir  Robert.  He  proved  tract 
able,  but  not  precisely  in  the  way  she  de 
sired.  Though  he  showed  a  real  fondness 
for  Laura,  she  sometimes  suspected  that 
it  was  herself  he  preferred  for  wife. 
Withal  he  was  not  quick  at  getting  new 
ideas  or  changing  his  mind  once  it  was 
made  up!  Very  deftly  and  skilfully  she 
worked  with  him,  till,  at  the  end  of  a 
rather  venturesome  interview,  she  be 
lieved  she  had  accomplished  her  object. 

"  My  one  aim  in  life,"  she  finally  dared 
tell  him,  "  is  to  see  Laura  happily  married. 
Nothing  counts  with  me  now,  or  can 
count,  till  that  is  an  assured  fact." 

And  the  baronet  flushed  and  betrayed 
an  unexpected  pleasure  in  her  words.  So 
much  so,  indeed,  that  she  wondered  with 
some  amusement  what  he  had  thought 
before. 

"  He  couldn't  have  supposed  the  oppo 
site,  could  he?"  she  said  to  herself,  a 
'34 


"  '  MY  ONE  AIM  IN  LIFE  ...  IS  TO  SEE  LAURA 
HAPPILY  MARRIED'" 


little  grimly,  "  that  Laura  was  not  obtain 
able  till  her  mother  was  disposed  of?  " 

However,  it  really  did  not  matter  if 
he  at  last  comprehended.  It  was  shortly 
after  this  that  she  began  to  sound  Laura. 

"How  do  you  like  Sir  Robert?"  she 
asked,  tentatively. 

"  He's  just  as  nice  as  he  can  be,"  said 
Laura,  with  gratifying  enthusiasm.  "  I 
like  him  almost  as  well  as  Mr.  Weath- 
ersby." 

Mrs.  Lorraine  looked  nettled  at  this 
ending.  "  I  can't  see  why  you  compare 
him  with  Mr.  Weathersby." 

"  Oh,  well,  they're  both  very  kind  and 
polite  to  me,  just  as  if  I  had  been  grown 
up  a  good  many  years  ago,  and  they  are 
both  old  —  " 

"  Laura  Lorraine !  Sir  Robert  is  barely 
my  age!  Mr.  Weathersby  is  old  enough 
to  be  his  father,  with  abundant  years  to 
spare." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  he  is,"  said  Laura, 
reflectively.  "  Only  somehow  Mr. 
Weathersby  seems  young  for  his  age  and 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

Sir  Robert  old  for  his.  So  it  sort  of 
makes  them  meet." 

Mrs.  Lorraine,  exasperated,  tried  an 
other  tack.  "  The  baronet  wouldn't  be 
greatly  flattered  if  he  knew  your  opinion. 
He  doesn't  consider  there  is  any  insur 
mountable  difference  between  his  age  and 
yours." 

Even  Laura  felt  that  that  last  sentence 
hid  some  ulterior  meaning.  She  looked 
at  her  mother  with  a  slightly  amazed  ex 
pression.  "  I  don't  know  what  you 
mean,"  she  said,  slowly.  "  Why  should 
he  think  about  my  age  at  all  ?  " 

Her  mother  laughed  carelessly.  "  Well, 
my  dear,  unless  I  am  greatly  mistaken 
Sir  Robert  Martinmas  is  decidedly  inter 
ested  in  you." 

"  Interested !  "  There  was  a  hint  of 
trouble  in  the  girl's  eyes.  "  How  inter 
ested?  He's  only  just  polite  and  kind." 

"  Such  especial  politeness  from  an  Eng 
lishman  as  he  has  shown  to  you  is  gen 
erally  indicative  of  but  one  thing." 

"  You    mean,"    Laura's    face    flushed 


136 


$g     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

swiftly,  "  that  he  would  like  to  marry 
me?" 

"  I  shall  be  surprised  if  he  doesn't  tell 
me  that  before  many  days."  Her  tone 
expressed  complete  satisfaction. 

"  Mother !  "  The  trouble  in  the  big 
gray  eyes  had  almost  grown  to  terror. 
"  You  can't  think  it !  He  doesn't !  Why, 
he  thinks  of  me  like  a  daughter.  He's 
never  said  a  word  to  suggest  any  such 
dreadful  thing."  It  was  not  often  that 
Laura's  sentences  followed  one  another 
so  recklessly. 

Mrs.  Lorraine  felt  uncomfortable. 
"  No  well-bred  Englishman  would  let  you 
know  his  wishes  before  he  had  spoken  to 
me." 

"  But  you  must  be  mistaken !  Why,  — 
if  he's  in  love  with  anybody,  it's  you !  " 
She  brightened  as  the  idea  came  to  her. 
"  He  certainly  talks  about  you  pretty 
nearly  all  the  time." 

The  young  widow  remembered  her  sat 
isfactory  conversation  with  Sir  Robert, 
and  smiled  contentedly.  "  Possibly  that 


SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     H£ 

is  because  you  talk  of  me  and  he  follows 
your  lead." 

"  Well,"  said  Laura,  with  sudden 
acuteness,  "  if  I  talk  of  you,  it's  because 
I  don't  know  anything  else  that  interests 
him.  Certainly  I  wouldn't  feel  that  wray 
with  a  man  who  was  in  love  with  me." 

Mrs/  Lorraine  was  more  nonplussed 
than  she  admitted.  She  almost  feared 
that  Laura  was  going  to  prove  refractory. 
Outwardly,  however,  she  remained  undis 
turbed  as  ever.  "  Well,  my  dear,  we  shall 
soon  see  who  is  right." 

Then  she  gently  lifted  the  grave  young 
face,  and  looked  tenderly  into  the  wide, 
worried  eyes. 

"  It  isn't  anything  to  feel  unhappy 
about,  girlie.  Personally,  I  could  not 
wish  you  better  than  to  be  the  wife  of 
such  a  man  as  Sir  Robert." 

And  to  Laura,  who  knew  her  mother's 
way  of  stating  a  wish,  that  was  practi 
cally  a  command.  There  was  no  doubt 
now  that,  as  the  older  woman  left  her, 
there  was  unhidden  terror  in  her  face  and 
attitude. 

138 


SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     H£ 

Mrs.  Lorraine  was  certainly  not  well 
pleased  with  the  result  of  her  conversa 
tion.  She  knew,  of  course,  that  if 
the  worst  came,  she  would  merely  have 
to  lay  decided  orders  upon  the  girl.  But 
now,  when  she  herself  was  so  filled  with 
radiant  joy,  she  could  not  bear  to  think 
of  making  Laura  unhappy. 

"  But  I  know  her  too  well  to  doubt  her 
final  content,"  she  assured  herself. 
"  There  is  nothing  of  the  wildly  romantic 
about  her.  Once  married  to  Sir  Robert, 
it  wouldn't  be  a  month  before  she  was  as 
sweetly  satisfied  as  if  she  had  always 
longed  for  the  union." 

Up  to  this  time  she  had  followed  her 
plan  of  keeping  away  from  Jack.  For  the 
first  week  it  was  easy  enough.  She  hardly 
wanted  to  see  him.  It  was  as  much  as 
she  could  bear  to  feel  the  marvellous  hap 
piness  in  her  own  heart.  Gradually,  how 
ever,  as  the  strangeness  of  it  all  was  for 
gotten  in  its  great  sweetness,  there  grew 
a  tender  longing  to  tell  her  love.  Once 
she  almost  betrayed  herself.  A  day  or 
so  after  her  talk  with  Laura  she  met  Jack 
'39 


SH      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ^ 

on  the  street.  She  saw  him  first,  other 
wise  he  might  have  surprised  the  shining 
greeting  that  flashed  over  her  face  at  sight 
of  him.  He  looked  distinctly  troubled, 
but  brightened  visibly  as  she  came  up. 

"  I  was  going  to  see  you  this  very  day," 
he  exclaimed.  "  You've  persistently 
avoided  me  ever  since  —  " 

She  held  up  her  hand,  and  laughed,  — 
a  tender,  rippling  laugh  that  ought  to 
have  comforted  the  most  worried  of  men. 
"  I'm  going  to  continue  to  shun  you  for 
t\vo  weeks  more.  And  you  mustn't  write. 
I  won't  read  a  word." 

"  But,  dear  Mrs.  Lorraine,"  still  with 
doubt  and  perplexity,  "  you  ought  to 
know  —  I  can't  endure  it  —  really  —  do 
you  understand  ?  " 

And  the  woman  suddenly  longed  to  tell 
him  all,  —  how  well  indeed  she  did  under 
stand.  For  a  minute  it  was  almost  be 
yond  her  power  to  keep  her  self-control. 
"  A  little  while,"  she  promised  herself, 
"  just  a  little  while  longer."  "  Jack,"  she 
said,  aloud,  "  you  haven't  much  patience. 
You  must  cultivate  it.  Two  weeks  will 
140 


SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     ^ 

give  you  chance  for  practice."  She  was 
gone,  leaving  him  only  the  memory  of 
a  brilliant,  heavenly  smile. 

He  looked  after  her  dazed.  He  almost 
felt  that  he  was  in  the  midst  of  some 
mystery.  "  Oh,  well,"  he  shook  himself, 
irritably,  "  I  won't  believe  things  are 
going  wrong.  She  is  too  lovely  and 
sweet  and  gracious.  Things  can't  go 
wrong." 


141 


CHAPTER    X. 

KINGS  can't  go  wrong," 
sang  Helen  Lorraine,  also. 
She  was  in  that  state  of  tri- 
umPnant  j°y  where  defeat 
seems  absolutely  impossible.  Even  the 
unexpected  absence  of  the  baronet  just 
at  this  critical  moment  did  not  greatly 
trouble  her.  It  was  annoying,  to  be  sure, 
for  she  realised  that  there  was  little 
enough  time  for  him  to  press  matters  with 
Laura.  On  the  other  hand,  perhaps,  the 
child  would  learn  his  worth  better  while 
he  was  away. 

"  Fate  can't  be  unkind  to  me  now," 
cried  the  young  widow,  exultantly. 
"  Surely  the  gods  are  with  me.  The 
whole  world's  with  me." 

No  wonder  people  began  to  look  at  her 

with  increasing  amazement.     Though  her 

tongue  kept  the  secret,  the  ecstasy  was 

shining  in  her  eyes,  flushing  her  cheeks, 

142 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

curving  her  lips,  —  fairly  flaunting  itself 
before  all  who  cared  to  read. 

Mr.  Thomas  Dinsmore  one  afternoon 
was  studying  her  with  deep  interest.  He 
had  dropped  into  her  drawing-room  on 
his  way  up-town,  and  feeling  in  a  rather 
low  mood,  he  seized  the  opportunity  for 
some  diversion. 

"  Helen,"  he  said,  shaking  hands,  sol 
emnly,  "  what's  all  this  feverish  excite 
ment  for  ?  Why  does  your  hand  tremble  ? 
What's  that  glisten  in  your  eye?  Why 
is  your  head  thrown  up  like  the  hunted 
deer?  Come,  pour  out  your  soul  to  a 
truly  sympathising  breast !  " 

Mrs.  Lorraine  pulled  her  hand  from  his 
still  detaining  clasp.  "  Yes,  you  always 
were  that,  dear  Tommy!  Way  back  in 
the  days  when  you  held  my  pet  doll  to 
the  fire  to  see  it  melt  in  streaks.  And 
when  you  got  me  to  drink  your  horrible 
decoction  of  vinegar  and  molasses  and 
Mrs.  Winslow's  Soothing  Syrup,  under 
the  belief  that  it  would  make  my  legs 
grow  so  I  could  run  faster  than  Harriet! 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CR(ESUS      H£ 

Oh,  yes!  You  have  always  been  sympa 
thy  itself." 

"  You  malign  me,"  he  began,  with  great 
dignity. 

She  laughed  gleefully,  and  turned  upon 
him  with  glowing  eyes.  "  Tom,  dear, 
isn't  it  a  beautiful  world  ?  " 

"Poor  thing!  Poor  thing!"  He 
shook  his  head,  mournfully.  "  So  young 
and  beautiful  to  be  so  afflicted !  " 

"  You  great  —  goose!  "  She  regained 
her  self-possession  in  high  dudgeon  at 
what  might  have  been  her  own  betrayal. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  attacked,  "  that's  what 
they  have  been  calling  me  all  day  at  City 
Hall.  The  appellation  was  different,  but 
the  meaning  wras  identical." 

"  City  Hall !  What  were  you  in  City 
Hall  for?" 

Mr.  Dinsmore  shrugged  his  shoulders. 
"  Result  of  a  fit  of  idiocy.  Judge  Emery 
came  down  to  the  kennels  the  other  day  to 
pick  out  a  dog.  So  he  said.  I  didn't  ob 
serve  that  he  did  anything  but  pour  out  a 
story  of  a  poor  devil  of  a  Frenchman  who 
was  going  to  have  suit  brought  against 
144 


-SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      K4 

him.  Seems  there's  one  of  our  irreproach 
able  city  officials  who  wants  the  little 
corner  fruit  store  of  Frenchy.  Plans  to 
turn  it  into  a  rumshop  for  one  of  his 
henchmen.  Judge  allowed  that  unless 
Frenchy  got  rather  different  counsel  than 
he  could  afford,  he'd  be  ousted;  and 
he  swore  that  would  be  an  outrage.  And 
—  well,  he  actually  wheedled  me  into 
promising  to  take  Frenchy's  case."  He 
ended  with  a  whimsical,  shamefaced  ex 
pression. 

"  Judge  Emery  is  a  dear !  "  declared 
Mrs.  Lorraine.  "  And  you  needn't  talk 
about  being  wheedled.  You  are  probably 
having  a  better  time  than  you  ever  had 
in  your  life !  " 

He  smiled  affably.  "  It's  to  be  hoped 
my  client  won't  hear  I  haven't  had  a  case 
for  over  five  years.  He  might  lose  the 
profound  faith  he  at  present  possesses  in 
my  powers.  I  tell  you  what,"  he  added, 
with  huge  appreciation,  "  I've  been  giving 
those  Hibernian  satellites  of  the  Lord 
Boss  a  lively  hunt  to-day.  They  finally 
decided  they  might  as  well  produce  at 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      $& 

once  any  documents  and  reports  I  am 
after.  The  dirty  blackguards!  They'll 
have  the  pleasure  of  paying  for  their  own 
suit  this  time,  or  I've  lost  all  the  law  that 
ever  trickled  into  my  cranium." 

Tom  Dinsmore  actually  roused  over 
something  besides  dogs  or  horses !  Mrs. 
Lorraine  fairly  held  her  breath,  and  then 
she  turned  to  him  impulsively. 

"  Harriet  will  be  overwhelmed  with 
delight.  She'll  never  say  you  nay  after 
this." 

"  Evidently  you  haven't  gauged  Har 
riet's  capacity  for  employing  that  objec 
tionable  negative."  His  tone  was  dry 
enough,  but  his  listener  thought  it 
pathetic. 

"  Tom,"  she  said  again,  and  stopped  in 
confusion. 

"  Helen,"  he  mocked,  tragically,  "  what 
is  it  ?  "  Her  nervousness  struck  him  as 
divertingly  unusual. 

She  paid  no  attention  to  his  manner. 
With  her  eyes  anywhere  but  on  his  face, 
she  started  once  more. 

146 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRtESUS      HS- 

"  You'll  think  I'm  too  outrageous.  But 
I  want  to  ask  you  something.  I  —  I  think 
I  can  help  you."  She  turned  and  looked 
at  him  pleadingly. 

"  Thank  you.  Go  ahead.  You  can't 
be  outrageous."  He  was  gravely  courte 
ous  now,  though  he  certainly  began  to 
feel  a  bit  uncomfortable. 

"  No  one  need  ever  know,  but,  on  your 
soul,  Tom,  how  much  do  you  care  for 
Harriet  ?  "  The  words  at  last  came  tu- 
multuously,  and  she  stood  gazing  at  him 
as  if  her  own  life  depended  on  his  answer. 

The  man's  face  flushed  darkly.  Then, 
in  spite  of  derisive  astonishment  at  him 
self,  and  the  whole  situation,  he  answered, 
quietly,  "  I  don't  know,  Helen.  How 
can  one  measure  what  has  been  part  of 
one  so  long  that  it  is  impossible  to  tell 
which  is  you  and  which  is  it?" 

"  Then  —  why  don't  you  marry  her?  " 

He  winced,  but  laughed  shortly. 
"  Third  act  of  the  melodrama.  My 
dear  girl,  I  have  spent  the  best  part  of 
my  life  trying  to  persuade  her  that  that 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

should  be  the  legitimate  outcome  of  our 
squabbles." 

"  You've  squabbled  too  long.  You 
never  should  have  tried  to  persuade  her, 
either.  There's  too  much  of  the  spirit  of 
the  middle  ages  in  her.  You  ought  to 
have  taken  her  by  main  force  long  ago." 

Mr.  Dinsmore  almost  sneered.  "  Even 
granting  my  very  doubtful  power,  I've 
an  idea  it  mightn't  be  so  satisfactory 
afterwards  —  with  a  bushwhacked  wife." 

"  Bushwhacked !  It  certainly  is  amaz 
ing  how  long  you  men  can  have  your  eyes 
open  without  ever  really  seeing!  You 
don't  imagine  that  any  actual  force  could 
compel  her  to  your  arms  for  good,  do 
you?  I  simply  meant  that  her  strain  of 
medievalism  demands  at  least  a  show  of 
masterfulness.  In  spite  of  her  modern 
veneer  of  independence  and  all  the  rest, 
in  her  heart  she  doubts  the  reality  of  a 
passion  that  accepts  a  verbal  no  as  ulti 
matum." 

This  time  he  laughed  without  scorn. 
"  Since  we  have  come  to  such  personali- 


148 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

ties,  you  may  as  well  hear  that  she  hasn't 
the  slightest  idea  that  I've  taken  any  '  no 
as  ultimatum.'  But  it  doesn't  make  my 
chances  more  hopeful  for  her  to  know  that 
I'm  likely  to  repeat  the  same  old  question 
any  day." 

"  Don't  repeat  it.  Make  a  grand  dash 
in  an  entirely  different  way.  That's  why 
I  was  so  delighted  to  hear  of  your 
Frenchman." 

"  I  know.  But  I  don't  see  the  connec 
tion." 

"  I  can't  help  it  if  I  am  betraying  forty 
confidences !  "  She  went  up  to  him  swiftly 
and  put  her  hand  on  his  arm.  "  Tom, 
dear,  prove  to  her  that  you  are  dead  in 
earnest  about  any  one  thing  in  this  world, 
and  then  claim  her  for  your  own  with  all 
the  power  that's  in  you !  " 

The  fire  in  her  eyes  made  the  man 
marvel  even  while  his  own  kindled  an- 
sweringly.  He  seized  the  hand  that 
trembled  on  his  arm  and  kissed  it. 

"  You're  very  good  to  a  no-account 
fool,  Helen.  And  if  you  are  right,"  he 
did  not  realise  how  he  crushed  the  hand 
149 


SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     HS- 

in  his  grasp,  "  the  gods  should  have 
enough  pity  for  a  man  who's  thrown  away 
half  his  years  to  give  him  a  show  at 
last." 


COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     HS- 


CHAPTER    XL 

ISS  ASPINWALL  was 
curled  up  on  the  window- 
seat  in  her  studio.  Looking 
down  on  to  the  tops  of  the 
bare  trees  massed  at  that  end  of  the  park 
into  a  maze  of  twisting  branches,  she 
was  idly  watching  the  shifting  sunlight 
that  weaved  a  changing  golden  pattern 
over  the  gray  woof  of  knotted  twigs. 
From  her  height  she  could  see  that  even 
in  their  leafless  state  the  branches  criss 
crossed  so  thickly  that  only  a  few  thread 
like  gleams  worked  through  to  the  street 
below.  Miss  Aspinwall  shook  her  head. 
She  knew  too  well  the  state  of  that  street. 
The  Reform  Club  and  the  Street  Clean 
ing  Department  had  recently  had  a  col 
lision,  and  the  Department  had,  of  course, 
been  victorious. 

"  Dirty  old  black  pavements,"  she 
scolded,  half  aloud.  "  And  respectable 
human  beings  are  forced  to  put  up  with 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ^ 

such  outrageous  accommodations  for 
their  peregrinations.  If  the  Creator  knew 
we  \vere  to  live  in  such  mire  he  might 
at  least  have  furnished  the  more  fastidi 
ous  of  us  with  wings !  Birds  can  keep 
their  feet  clean  and  their  noses  away  from 
smells.  It's  the  usual  fair  distribution  of 
'  Divine  Providence.'  '  Talking  to  her 
self  was  Miss  Aspinwall's  way  of  turning 
on  a  safety-valve  that  saved  her  friends 
and  relations  many  an  uncomfortable 
quarter-hour.  "  It's  no  wonder  we  are 
such  miserable,  grovelling  creatures,"  she 
went  on,  savagely.  "  What  else  could  be 
expected  when  most  of  our  lives  are 
spent  hardly  six  feet  above  dirt-level  ?  " 

The  big  knocker  on  the  studio  hall  door 
dropped  with  a  clang,  and  without  taking 
the  trouble  to  change  her  position,  she 
called,  "  Come  in,"  rather  ungraciously. 

The  door  opened  slowly,  while  Mr. 
Thomas  Dinsmore  assured  himself  by  a 
leisurely  survey  that  the  figure  on  the 
window-seat  was  the  only  occupant  of  the 
room. 

"  Well,  this  is  comfortable,"  he  said, 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

genially.  "  The  gods  are  evidently  with 
me  to-day." 

"  They've  left  you  before  now,  then," 
retorted  Miss  Aspinwall.  "  You'd  better 
go  home.  I'm  cross  and  blue,  and  we'll 
only  fight  if  you  stay." 

"  Oh,  no,  we  wont !  "  said  Mr.  Dins- 
more,  placidly.  "  It  still  takes  at  least 
two  for  that,  and  Beelzebub  himself 
couldn't  get  a  rise  out  of  me  just  now." 

"  Such  complimentary  insinuations  are 
well  calculated  to  put  the  other  party  into 
an  equally  pleasant  frame  of  mind,"  said 
the  lady,  tartly. 

"  Now,  Harriet,"  gently  remonstrated 
he,  in  the  aggravating  tone  of  one  who 
quite  realises  how  exemplary  is  his  amia 
bility,  "  we  are  not  going  to  quarrel.  If 
you  really  want  to  get  rid  of  me,  I'll  go 
at  once."  He  made  what  was  apparently 
an  attempt  to  stifle  a  sigh,  and  stood 
looking  dolefully  into  his  hat. 

The  sigh  or  the  attitude  accomplished 
its  purpose.  Miss  Aspinwall  unbent  suffi 
ciently  to  command  him  to  sit  down  and 
be  sensible,  if  he  could.  He  accepted  the 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ^ 

permission  with  due  humility,  while  he 
inwardly  wondered  how  in  the  world  he 
could  propitiously  introduce  the  object  of 
his  call.  For  once,  however,  the  gods  did 
seem  to  be  favourable.  As  he  settled 
himself  at  the  other  end  of  the  long 
window,  the  newspaper  stuck  into  his 
pocket  dropped  to  the  floor. 

"  If  it's  this  evening's,"  she  said,  as  he 
stooped  to  pick  it  up,  "  please  pass  it  over. 
I  want  to  see  if  the  Tombs'  case  came  up 
before  Judge  Emery  to-day." 

The  first  thing  her  eyes  lighted  upon, 
however,  was  not  the  Tombs  case.  In 
stead  the  heading  ran,  "  Boss  McGlynn 
Defeated.  A  Brilliant  Debut  in  the  Legal 
Ring  of  one  of  Gotham's  Society  Leaders. 
Judge  Emery's  Scathing  Denunciation." 

"  What's  this  ?  "  she  exclaimed,  "  Mc 
Glynn  actually  routed  ?  "  Skipping  here 
and  there,  she  read  aloud  the  column  that 
followed :  "  '  It  is  not  often  that  a  for 
eigner,  with  nothing  on  his  side  but  right, 
succeeds  in  our  municipal  courts  in  win 
ning  a  suit  against  one  of  our  bosses.  It 
is  cause  for  public  congratulation  that 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

Jacques  Ribout  did  succeed.  Ribout  is 
legitimate  proprietor  of  the  little  fruit 
store  that  McGlynn  had  determined  should 
be  a  rumshop  for  his  hopeful  son-in-law 
O'Geary.  ...  It  was  the  old  story  of  in 
timidation,  suppression  of  evidence,  and 
perjury.  ...  As  the  case  was  tried  before 
Judge  Emery  there  was  certainty  of  the 
justice  of  the  bench's  decision.  But  with 
out  a  skilful  and  not-to-be-bulldozed  law 
yer,  it  is  sure  that  even  Judge  Emery's 
capacity  for  detecting  fraud  would  have 
been  strained  to  its  utmost.  Such  a  lawyer 
Ribout,  luckily,  had.  And  it  may  as  well 
be  said  right  here  that  New  York's  courts 
have  seldom  witnessed  a  more  able  or 
more  brilliantly  conducted  case.  .  .  . 
Ribout's  lawyer,  in  his  search  for  docu 
ments  and  evidence,  had  some  lively 
tussles  with  our  convict-rumshop-political 
government.  We  are  credibly  informed 
that  in  consequence  of  his  experience  his 
assistance  may  be  counted  upon  in  any 
fight  against  the  corruption  that  makes  the 
city  a  synonym  for  every  kind  of  legal 
as  well  as  moral  dishonour.  ...  It  may 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

interest  some  to  know  that  this  suddenly 
to  the  front  young  lawyer  is  the  son  of 
one  of  New  York's  most  valued  citizens, 
—  a  man  whose  death  ten  years  ago  came 
like  a  public  calamity,  —  Doctor  Thomas 
Dinsmore.'  ' 

The  paper  dropped  from  Miss  Aspin- 
wall's  hands.  "Tom  Dinsmore!  — 
You? "  The  words  were  hardly  more 
than  a  gasp.  She  sat  staring  with  an 
expression  which  the  man  found  ex 
tremely  disconcerting.  It  made  him  want 
to  laugh,  but  it  also  sent  a  queer  lump  into 
his  throat.  And  then  he  wondered  what 
would  happen  if,  willy-nilly,  he  should 
take  her  into  his  arms.  On  the  whole, 
perhaps,  it  was  not  an  entirely  propitious 
moment. 

"  That  fire  reporter,"  he  said,  blandly, 
before  the  painter  had  recovered  the  use 
of  her  breath,  "  has  dramatic  instincts  that 
deserve  cultivation.  If  I  were  the  edi 
tor  —  " 

"  Don't."  She  slipped  from  her  end  of 
the  seat  and  stood  beside  him.  "  Tom,  is 
it  true?  Was  it  really  you?  "  The  glow 
156 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

in  her  eyes,  along  with  that  bewitching 
tremor  in  her  voice,  almost  finished  Mr. 
Thomas  Dinsmore. 

With  a  mental  shake  he  succeeded  in 
keeping  his  outward  calmness.  "  Well, 
my  dear,"  he  counted  on  her  preoccupa 
tion  to  linger  deliciously  over  the  term, 
"  I  suppose,  with  some  allowance  for 
hyperbole  born  of  enthusiasm,  the  youth 
in  the  main  told  the  truth." 

"  Oh,  then,  —  why  —  why  didn't  you," 
her  voice  trailed  off  into  a  weak  little 
gulp,  and  at  the  same  time  an  unmis 
takable  round  drop  rolled  down  each 
cheek. 

Mr.  Dinsmore  gazed  at  those  two  shin 
ing  globules  with  an  awed  fascination  that 
petrified  him  into  losing  his  opportunity. 
For,  while  he  was  still  speechless,  she 
who  had  generated  those  drops  turned  her 
back  upon  him  and  tried  to  wipe  away 
all  traces  of  their  fall. 

"  Considering  everything,"  she  said, 
with  as  much  dignity  as  a  rather  muffled 
voice  could  carry,  "  you  might  have  told 


57 


3%     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS 

me  before.     I  should  have  liked  to  hear 
your  speech." 

"  Oh,  if  that's  all,"  said  Mr.  Dinsmore, 
coolly,  though  inwardly  raging  at  the  way 
he  had  wasted  his  chance,  "  you  haven't 
lost  anything.  With  the  exception  of 
certain  concrete  details  and  examples,  the 
whole  speech  was  your  own  property." 
"  Thomas  Dinsmore !  What  rubbish !  " 
"  The  judge  and  the  public  didn't  so 
consider  it.  As  for  its  being  yours,  — 
these  many  years  I  have  listened  in  meek 
receptiveness  to  your  tirades  against  the 
wickedness  and  filth  that  dwell  in  the 
high  places  of  this  town.  Therefore, 
when  my  opening  came  for  declamation 
against  these  honourable  gentlemen  who 
occupy  these  positions,  what  could  I  do? 
How  could  I  help  using  your  material, 
so  to  speak?  You  hadn't  left  a  spot  un 
covered.  There  was  only  one  reason,"  he 
concluded,  succinctly,  at  the  same  time 
placing  himself  where  he  looked  straight 
into  her  eyes,  "  only  one  reason  why  I 
didn't  truthfully  and  publicly  acknowledge 
my  indebtedness." 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

"  Which  was  ?  "  Somehow  the  painter's 
eyes  dropped.  "  Though  it's  all  perfect 
nonsense,"  she  added,  turning  sharply 
away. 

"  It's  very  far  from  nonsense.  It's  the 
only  serious,  sober  fact  in  this  whole 
crazy  world.  And  hear  it  you  shall  this 
time,  whether  you  like  or  not."  There 
was  no  mistaking  the  ring  of  triumph. 
Miss  AspinwalFs  cheeks  grew  queerly 
white,  and  she  longed  helplessly  for  es 
cape,  from  what  she  hardly  knew. 

"  The  reason  is  simply  this."  With  a 
quick,  indescribable  movement,  he  leaned 
forward  and  down.  And  Harriet  Aspin- 
wall  found  all  ways  of  escape  cut  off.  A 
strong  pair  of  arms  crushed  her  tight 
against  a  breast  whose  tumultuous  heav 
ing  gave  the  lie  direct  to  its  owner's 
paraded  nonchalance. 

"  Tom !  "  The  indignation  ended  in 
a  sob,  though  she  struggled  violently  to 
free  herself. 

The  arms  only  held  her  closer,  while 
the  man's  face  bent  down  to  hers.  "  I'll 
never  let  you  go  unless  you'll  promise  to 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

come  back.  Harriet !  I've  loved  you  ever 
since  you  were  ten.  You  tyrannised  over 
me  then  and  you've  kept  it  up  pretty 
steadily  ever  since.  But  now  you'll  stay 
right  where  you  are  till  you  promise  to 
take  me  for  better,  for  worse,  —  for  good 
and  all." 

During  these  pugnacious  sentences,  to 
his  own  exceeding  surprise,  not  a  sound 
came  from  his  captive.  Her  face  was 
hidden  against  his  coat  so  that  all  he 
could  see  was  a  little  pink  ear  and  a 
three-cornered  piece  of  a  cheek  most 
tantalisingly  soft. 

"  Harriet !  Sweetheart !  "  His  bravado 
left  him  as  he  whispered  the  words  into 
that  little  pink  ear.  "  I  love  you  with 
all  my  heart  and  soul  and  body,  and  —  " 
with  a  half  laugh  and  a  half  choke  — 
"  I'm  going  to  kiss  you  this  minute." 

Before  his  moustache  had  more  than 
brushed  her  cheek,  with  a  sudden  wrench 
she  threw  up  her  head.  A  wave  of  pink 
had  flooded  her  from  forehead  to  throat, 
but  she  looked  at  him  from  eyes  at  last 


160 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CROESUS      H£ 

all  unafraid  to  show  their  depths  of  ten 
derness. 

"  You  don't  have  to  steal/'  she  began, 
and  then  —  words  were  out  of  the  ques 
tion. 

"  You  haven't  asked  me,"  said  Mr. 
Dinsmore,  considerably  later,  "  why  I 
didn't  acknowledge  from  whom  I  cribbed 
my  speech." 

"  Didn't  wish  to  make  yourself  a  laugh 
ing-stock,  I  suppose." 

"  Not  at  all.  I  simply  had  a  natural 
delicacy  about  flaunting  my  wife's  bril 
liant  attainments  in  public." 

"  O  —  oh !  "  She  wriggled  herself 
free.  "  Of  all  assurance !  I  should  like 
to  know  how,  after  all  these  years,  you 
so  suddenly  grew  to  such  valiancy !  " 

Mr.  Dinsmore  chuckled.  "  I  might 
reply  with  more  truth  than  ever  justified 
Adam,  '  The  woman,  she  did  it.'  Though 
doubtless  Tammany  helped  to  screw  my 
courage  to  its  present  sticking  point. 
Even  you  weren't  so  formidable  after  I'd 
pulled  the  Tiger's  tail !  " 

"  Well,"  replied  the  woman  who  had 
161 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     H£ 

succumbed,  "  all  I've  got  to  say  is  that 
if  you'd  tried  the  combination  ten,  yes, 
or  fifteen  years  ago,  you  might  have  saved 
us  both  a  great  many  premarital  squab 
bles." 


162 


COUNCILS    OF    CROESUS 


CHAPTER    XII. 

had  been  the  kind  of  day 
that  often  comes  to  New 
York  in  what  seems  to  be 
nature's  pause  between  the 
last  sigh  of  winter  and  the  first  breath 
of  spring.  Although  the  varnished 
brown  buds  of  the  maples  in  the  city 
squares  were  not  yet  streaked  with  crim 
son  ;  though  even  the  willows  in  the  park 
still  showed  hardly  a  hint  of  gold  along 
their  whiplike  tips;  yet,  all  day  the  air 
had  been  full  of  a  thousand  subtle  sug 
gestions  of  May  herself.  The  sky's  winter 
pallor  had  deepened  almost  to  summer's 
blue;  the  dull  gray  clouds  had  softened 
into  filmy  puffs  that  drifted  lazily  high 
overhead;  the  sunlight,  no  longer  thin 
and  white,  swept  yellow  heat  between  the 
city  blocks ;  an  adventurous  robin  or 
two  appeared  with  swelling  breast  and 
pompously  disputed  the  sparrows'  winter- 
vested  rights  in  the  pickings  of  Washing- 
163 


•SH     COUNCILS   OF   CRCESUS      HS- 

ton  Square;  the  carts  and  trucks  rattled 
and  banged  over  the  pavements,  but  their 
wheels  had  lost  the  brittle  snapping  of 
frosty  days;  florists  opened  their  doors, 
and  the  perfume  of  jonquil,  daffodil,  and 
crocus,  mixed  with  the  thicker  fragrance 
of  violet  and  rose,  was  wafted  like  an 
intangible  breath  of  the  sunny  south  all 
up  and  down  the  avenue.  To-morrow, 
again,  likely  enough,  the  sky  would  be 
gray,  the  clouds  leaden,  the  sun  dimmed, 
and  a  piercing  wind  straight  down  the 
Hudson  from  the  frozen  Adirondacks 
would  be  shrieking  around  the  corners 
and  flicking  the  dust  into  veritable  whirl 
pools  of  nauseous  sand.  Which  proba 
bility,  Helen  Lorraine  admitted  to  herself, 
as  she  looked  out  at  the  lights  on  the 
Madison  Square  Garden  tower,  where 
Diana's  bow  swept  the  darkened  sky,  per 
haps  only  gave  more  reason  for  rejoicing 
in  to-day! 

As  a  rule,  to  be  sure,  the  young  widow 

gave  attention  to  the  weather  only  when 

it  was  bad.     But  lately,   somehow,   she 

had   grown   strangely   susceptible   to   all 

164 


MADISON    SQUARE    GARDEN 


-SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

sorts  of  things  she  used  never  to  notice. 
She  wondered  why  it  was  that  the  heavy 
clouds  of  yesterday,  which  the  setting  sun 
had  rimmed  with  gold  and  crimson  and 
purple,  sent  such  a  thrill  through  her? 
What  was  there  about  the  mellow  sun 
shine  to-day  that  flooded  her  heart  with 
some  of  its  own  glamour?  She  pressed 
her  hands  to  her  breast.  There  was  no 
need  for  explanation.  She  was  in  the 
midst  of  an  enchanted  spell.  She  had 
but  to  think  the  name  of  "  Jack  "  to  be 
rilled  with  the  rapture  and  joy  of  sun  and 
spring  and  flowers  and  perfume. 

But  it  was  getting  very  hard  to  keep 
the  rapture  all  to  herself.  Thank  Heaven 
there  were  only  three  more  days!  Then 
he  was  to  come  for  the  answer  she  had 
promised.  And  then  —  would  she  tell 
him  how  she  had  longed  to  shorten  those 
three  weeks  of  waiting  ?  How  it  was  only 
by  sedulously  avoiding  him  altogether 
that  she  had  held  her  secret  from  him? 
She  laughed  softly  now,  as  she  acknowl 
edged  that  it  was  fortunate  for  her  own 
self-respect  that  there  were  to  be  only 
165 


m     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     H£ 

three  more  days  of  the  struggle.  She 
would  hardly  answer  for  herself  if  the 
time  was  much  longer.  It  was  even 
lucky  that  these  three  days  were  to  be  too 
full  of  other  matters  to  give  her  much 
time  for  brooding  over  her  own  feelings. 
She  picked  up  the  note  she  had  received 
that  afternoon  from  Sir  Robert  Martin 
mas. 

"  My  dear  Mrs.  Lorraine,"  it  ran,  "  I 
was  sorry  to  have  to  leave  the  city  im 
mediately  after  our  last  conversation.  I 
cannot  tell  you  how7  much  your  words 
meant  to  me.  But,  perhaps,  with  your 
wroman's  intuition,  you  can  guess  how 
long  the  days  have  seemed  before  I  could 
come  to  you,  —  daring  to  put  my  great 
hope  to  the  test.  I  venture  to  believe  that 
I  can  assure  you  of  your  daughter's  hap 
piness.  Will  you  not  give  me  a  chance  to 
earn  my  own?  I  shall  be  in  New  York 
on  Saturday.  May  I  see  you  Sunday 
afternoon  ?  " 

The  letter  slipped  from  her  hand  as 
she  sank  back  into  the  big  chair.  She 
was  going  to  write  him  to  come.  It  was 
166 


-SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

a  pity  it  was  the  day  after,  instead  of  the 
day  before  she  had  agreed  to  see  Jack. 
She  hated  not  to  have  Laura's  future  defi 
nitely  settled  before  she  herself  was  com 
mitted  irretrievably.  However,  a  day 
made  very  little  difference,  providing  she 
could  be  sure  of  the  girl's  acquiescence. 
It  was  this  uncertainty  which  troubled  her 
more  than  she  was  willing  to  admit. 
They  had  not  discussed  the  baronet  since 
that  first  time.  But  she  felt  that  nothing 
had  happened  to  give  Laura  any  stronger 
interest  in  him.  Apparently  his  absence 
had  not  made  her  appreciate  his  worth, 
nor  had  she  seemed  to  miss  him  in  the 
least.  It  was  certainly  provoking  enough, 
but  she  did  not  doubt  the  final  outcome. 
She  only  wished  it  could  be  more  spon 
taneous.  As  things  wrere,  there  was  noth 
ing  for  her  to  do  but  to  tell  Laura  her 
desires  plainly,  and  to  try  to  make  her 
realise  the  happiness  she  would  find  as 
Sir  Robert's  wife.  She  devoutly  hoped 
they  would  have  no  kind  of  a  "  fuss." 
The  very  thought  of  such  a  possibility 
made  her  feel  that  she  ought  to  begin  her 
167 


•SH     COUNCILS   OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

preparations  at  once.  With  this  decision, 
a  moment  later  she  was  knocking  at 
Laura's  door. 

Flat  on  the  white  fur  rug  before  the 
fire,  her  hair  pulled  down  and  rippling 
over  the  soft  white  kimono,  her  chin  on 
her  hands,  her  elbows  on  her  knees,  sat 
Laura,  who  hardly  moved  as  she  called, 
"  Come  in." 

She  jumped  to  her  feet  at  her  mother's 
entrance,  and  then  proceeded  to  pull  her 
down  beside  her. 

"  I  thought  it  was  Walker.  You're 
the  prettiest  mother  in  the  world  in  that 
rose  wrapper,"  she  said,  holding  the  older 
woman  off  by  the  shoulders,  while  she 
gazed  at  her  admiringly. 

"  What  a  mutual  admiration  party !  " 
laughed  Mrs.  Lorraine.  "  I  was  just 
wishing  Sir  Robert  could  see  how  lovely 
you  looked  with  all  that  white  fluff  about 
you." 

Laura  drew  back  at  the  mention  of  the 
baronet.     "  Sir  Robert  would  never  look 
at  me  once  with  you  here,  too,"  she  said, 
forcing  a  lightness  into  her  voice. 
1 68 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

Mrs.  Lorraine  came  to  a  swift  con 
clusion.  This  beating  about  the  bush  was 
both  useless  and  aggravating.  "  My 
dear,"  she  leaned  over  and  gently  put  her 
arm  about  Laura,  "  there  is  no  use  in 
our  hedging  any  more.  Sir  Robert  Mar 
tinmas  is  coming  Sunday  to  ask  me  for 
your  hand." 

"  Mother !  "  It  was  not  a  cry.  The 
word  was  scarcely  breathed,  yet  Helen 
Lorraine  suddenly  suspected  that  there 
might  be  unthought  of  capacity  for  suf 
fering  behind  that  frightened  whisper. 

She  shook  off  the  impression,  and  went 
on  evenly.  "  It  can't  be  such  a  surprise 
to  you,  Laura.  You  must  have  under 
stood  his  attentions  could  mean  nothing 
else." 

"  I  never  did,  I  never  did !  "  She  was 
sobbing  now,  and  her  mother  felt  much 
the  helplessness  of  a  man  who  sees  a 
woman  in  tears.  Laura  almost  never 
cried.  "  He  never  has  paid  me  such  at 
tention.  It's  just  as  I  told  you  before. 
He  hasn't  said  or  done  half  the  things 
ever  so  many  other  men  have,  and  I'm 
169 


•SH      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     H£ 

sure  they  didn't  mean  anything."  She 
had  choked  back  the  sobs,  but  her  face, 
as  she  raised  it,  was  piteous  in  its  en 
treaty. 

"  My  dear  little  girl !  Why  do  you 
feel  so  badly?  Whether  he  has  acted  like 
other  men  or  not,  he  is  in  love  with  you, 
and  wants  to  marry  you.  And  it  seems 
to  me  you  ought  to  be  very  proud  and 
happy." 

"  You  —  you  —  are  going  to  tell  him 
he  can  have  me?  "  The  hopeless  ache  in 
the  voice  went  straight  to  the  mother's 
heart.  It  was  evidently  going  to  be 
harder  than  she  had  expected. 

"  My  dear,  you  are  going  to  want  to 
have  him.  What  possible  objection  can 
you  have?  Surely  you  don't  think  I 
would  urge  you  to  marry  him  unless  he 
was  worthy  of  you?  " 

Laura  threw  both  arms  round  her 
mother's  neck.  "  I  know  you  mean  it 
for  my  good.  But,  mother,  —  I  don't 
love  him." 

Mrs.  Lorraine  remembered  with  a  pang 
how  another  girl  had  appealed  to  her 
170 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

mother,  nearly  twenty  years  ago.  But 
the  cases  were  so  different ! 

"  You  like  him  and  respect  him,"  she 
said,  soothingly.  "  He  is  everything 
that  is  fine.  Even  if  you  didn't  like  him 
as  well  as  you  do,  I  should  be  sure  you 
would  learn  to  care  for  him.  What  could 
you  possibly  ask  for  that  he  has  not?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know !  "  Laura  sprang  to 
her  feet  and  stood  with  tight  clasped 
hands.  "  I  don't  know !  "  she  repeated, 
wearily.  "  He's  good  and  kind  and  hand 
some.  I  do  like  him.  I  think  I'd  love 
him  as  a  father.  But,  now  —  oh,  mother ! 
I  should  die  to  have  him  come  very  near 
me.  I  couldn't  stand  it  if  he  kissed  me." 
The  last  words  were  hardly  audible,  and 
her  cheeks  grew  red  with  shame. 

Mrs.  Lorraine  walked  over  to  the 
window  and  looked  out  into  the  night. 
It  was  more,  much  more  unpleasant,  than 
she  had  feared  it  would  be.  But  it  was 
all  so  senseless  that  it  was  irritating,  too. 
Nevertheless  there  was  nothing  but  soft 
kindness  in  her  voice  as  she  turned  to 
the  drooping  girl. 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ^ 

"  If  that  is  all,  Laura,  it  doesn't  mean 
anything.  Many  young  girls  feel  that 
way  at  first.  If  you  really  like  him  as 
you  say,  you  needn't  worry  about  any 
thing  else.  The  rest  will  come  in  its  own 
good  time.  It  isn't  necessary,  either," 
she  smiled  a  little  cynically,  "  that  you 
should  spend  much  time  kissing,  you 
know." 

"  Oh.  mother !  Don't !  "  Laura  shrank 
as  if  she  had  been  struck.  "  You  know  I 
didn't  mean  that.  But  to  marry  a  man, 
to  have  to  live  with  him  day  after  day, 
all  your  life,  when  you  don't  care  if  you 
never  see  him  from  one  month's  end  to 
another,  —  when  the  very  thought  of 
being  near  him  makes  you  shudder  — 
Oh !  —  is  that  what  a  marriage  should 
be?" 

It  was  the  mother's  turn  to  shudder. 
To  what  was  she  condemning  the  child? 
Was  her  own  wedded  life  to  be  duplicated 
in  her  daughter's?  She  threw-  off  the 
thought  angrily.  Could  any  one  be  more 
unlike  Dick  Lorraine  than  Sir  Robert 
Martinmas?  It  was  all  perfectly  pre- 
172 


^     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

posterous.  And  would  be  more  so  if 
a  mere  whim  of  a  sensitive  schoolgirl 
was  allowed  to  ruin  all  her  future  life. 

:'  You  don't  know  what  you  are  say 
ing,"  she  said,  finally,  with  the  cool  deter 
mination  Laura  knew  so  well.  "  If  you 
could  not  be  happy  with  Sir  Robert,  cer 
tainly  you  could  not  be  with  any  man. 
Believe  your  mother,  my  dear.  I  know 
you  better  than  you  know  yourself.  Once 
married  you  will  wonder  how  you  could 
ever  have  felt  as  you  do  now.  Do  you 
think  I  would  urge  you  into  it  if  I  didn't 
know?  Have  I  ever  failed  to  do  what 
was  best  for  you  ?  It  is  the  first  time  my 
daughter  has  ever  disputed  her  mother's 
wishes." 

Laura  choked  at  the  reproach. 
"Mother,  dear!"  She  held  out  her 
hands  imploringly.  "  Oh,  if  you  knew ! 
It  is  breaking  my  heart.  How  can  I 
marry  a  man  I  do  not  even  care  for  ?  " 

As  Mrs.  Lorraine  took  the  fluttering 
little  hands,  the  girl's  control  gave  way 
entirely.  Burying  her  face  on  her 


^H     COUNCILS    OF   CRCESUS     H£ 

mother's  breast,  she  broke  into  a  very 
passion  of  tears. 

"My  dear!  My  dear!"  The  elder 
woman  drew  her  gently  to  the  couch  and 
sat  with  her  arms  about  her  till  the  out 
burst  had  spent  itself.  By  that  time  na 
ture  claimed  its  right  to  repair  damages. 
Almost  before  she  knew  it  the  girl  had 
fallen  into  a  deep  sleep. 

Helen  Lorraine  went  back  to  her  own 
room,  more  depressed  than  she  \vould 
have  believed  possible.  She  was  non 
plussed  at  this  phase  in  Laura's  character. 
In  spite  of  herself,  she  began  to  think 
that  she  had  never  sounded  the  depths  of 
the  nature  she  supposed  she  knew  so  well. 
Then,  as  she  thought  of  the  ease  with 
which  the  paroxysm  of  grief  had  ended, 
she  tried  to  reassure  herself.  No  great 
intensity  of  feeling,  she  reasoned,  could 
so  quickly  become  oblivious.  Neverthe 
less,  the  memory  of  the  girl's  face  and 
\vords  haunted  her  all  night.  For  the 
first  time  for  nearly  three  weeks  she  hardly 
thought  of  Jack  at  all. 

In  the  morning,  however,  her  own  hap- 
'74 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

piness  swept  over  her  again  with  all  its 
sweet  poignancy,  and  once  more  any  kind 
of  failure  seemed  incredible.  She  read 
Sir  Robert's  note  over  with  a  vivid  mental 
picture  of  the  man  himself  before  her. 
Who  else  could  compare  with  him?  She 
said  to  herself  with  a  tender  smile  that 
even  Jack  was  not  his  equal.  Not  that 
it  mattered  in  the  least  to  her.  But  it 
was  positively  ridiculous  to  imagine  that 
Laura  would  not  learn  to  love  such  a  man. 
She  couldn't  be  doing  wrong  to  insist 
upon  the  marriage.  Why,  any  other  girl 
in  New  York  would  fairly  sell  her  soul 
to  be  the  baronet's  choice. 

With  these  fortifying  thoughts  she  was 
able  to  view  calmly  Laura's  pale  face  and 
drooping  eyes.  She  concluded  that  she 
would  not  mention  the  matter  again  till 
just  before  Sir  Robert's  appearance. 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

fS  far  as  Laura's  feelings 
were  concerned,  it  was  not  at 
all  necessary  that  anything 
more  should  be  said.  She 
knew  her  mother's  wish  as  perfectly  as  if 
they  had  talked  a  month.  And  a  wish 
with  her  was  tantamount  to  an  accom 
plished  command.  Bitterly  enough  she 
realised  that  nothing  she  could  say  would 
ever  change  her  mother's  mind.  That  she 
might  after  all  defy  her  and  refuse  to  do 
her  bidding  was  a  remote  contingency 
that  hardly  occurred  to  her.  She  was  too 
sure  that  no  puny  rebellion  of  hers  could 
weaken  her  mother's  iron  will.  It  was 
settled  that  she  was  to  marry  Sir  Robert. 
Though  that  was  a  horror  too  dreadful 
for  belief,  she  saw  no  way  to  prevent  it. 
Meanwhile,  her  face,  in  spite  of  Herculean 
efforts  on  her  part,  grew  hourly  whiter 
and  more  drawn. 

After    that    first    wretched    breakfast, 
176 


^     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      m 

Mrs.  Lorraine,  who  was  overwhelmed 
with  social  duties  at  this  end  of  the 
season,  seldom  saw  Laura  alone.  Other 
wise  perhaps  that  grief-stricken  face 
might  have  worked  havoc  with  her  plans. 

If  she  was  thus  both  purposely  and 
incidentally  blind,  it  was  different  with 
Miss  Aspinwall.  The  artist  had  not  yet 
announced  her  engagement  to  Mr.  Dins- 
more. 

"  I  propose  to  get  used  to  the  thing  a 
bit  myself,"  she  informed  her  lover,  "  be 
fore  I  give  the  world  permission  to  stare 
and  guy  and  oversee." 

Greatly  to  her  own  amazement,  she  dis 
covered  that  somehow,  during  these  first 
few  weeks,  it  was  extremely  difficult  to 
settle  down  to  any  kind  of  work.  She  did 
not  hint  this  state  of  affairs  to  Mr.  Dins- 
more.  Instead,  she  vigorously  applauded 
his  new-born  energy  in  digging  into  some 
of  the  political  slums.  For  very  pride's 
sake  he  was  obliged  to  stay  down-town  a 
reasonable  number  of  hours  a  day.  These 
were  the  hours  that  she  found  unaccount 
ably  hard  to  fill.  She  would  start  on  a 
177 


sketch,  only  to  throw  her  brushes  down 
in  despair  at  the  mess  she  made.  Reading 
was  equally  out  of  the  question.  The  only 
relief  was  to  walk.  So  walk  she  did,  — 
all  over  the  city  and  into  the  country, 
taking  care  not  to  venture  near  the  regions 
where  Mr.  Dinsmore  might  be  expected 
to  appear. 

On  one  of  these  tramps  she  had  gone 
way  up  Riverside  Drive,  past  Grant's 
Tomb,  straight  up,  —  nearly  opposite  to 
the  Palisades.  It  was  a  favourite  spot 
with  the  painter,  and  for  awhile  she  stood 
on  the  high,  rocky  embankment,  looking 
across  old  Hendrik's  majestic  stream. 
Her  eye  for  once  scarcely  appreciated  the 
charms  of  the  place.  The  vast  quiet,  that 
seemed  eternally  settled  upon  the  rugged, 
forbidding  cliffs,  never  suggested  the 
nearness  of  the  heart  of  the  thundering 
metropolis.  It  was  of  this,  however,  that 
she  was  thinking.  She  could  almost  see 
the  grimy,  crowded,  noisy  city,  far  down 
under  the  curling  smoke  that  rose  high 
over  the  huge,  indeterminate  mass  of 
walls,  chimneys,  and  roofs.  But  from 
178 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

where  she  stood,  the  softening  glamour  of 
the  haze  that  distance  throws  so  euphemis 
tically,  made  it  hard  to  believe  in  the 
reality  of  those  narrow,  dark,  reeking 
streets.  Yet  it  was  in  one  of  those  streets, 
in  all  probability,  where  was  at  that  mo 
ment  a  very  precious  somebody.  And 
then  Miss  Aspinwall  laughed. 

"If  one  escapes  such  idiocy  at  twenty, 
it's  apparently  only  to  be  more  demented 
at  thirty-five." 

She  turned  and  retraced  her  way,  still 
in  a  blissful,  half-unnoticing  state.  She 
did  not  even  look  up  when  she  came  into 
one  of  those  cross  streets  of  upper  New 
York  where  rows  of  cheaply  osten 
tatious  brownstone  apartment  houses  end 
abruptly  against  piles  of  sprawling  boul 
ders.  Here,  fastened  to  the  rocks  like 
clinging  barnacles,  wrere  the  low,  gray 
hovels,  once  so  plentiful  in  the  advance 
guard  of  Harlem's  population.  There 
were  the  usual  heaps  of  refuse,  the  scat 
tered  tin  cans  and  bottles,  the  lines  of 
flapping  clothes,  the  scraggy  hens  and  the 
ubiquitous  goat.  Here,  too,  was  the  un- 
179 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

washed,  harlequin  clothed  youngster,  who, 
as  he  tore  the  hair  or  cuffed  the  cheeks  of 
his  infant  neighbour,  seemed  on  the  whole 
to  be  in  a  state  of  physical  thriving. 

More  than  half-preoccupied  and  short 
sighted  as  she  was,  Miss  Aspinwall  came 
to  full  knowledge  of  her  surroundings 
most  unexpectedly.  Without  previous 
warning  she  found  herself  in  the  midst 
of  half  a  dozen  riotous  vagabonds,  yell 
ing  and  dancing  in  front  of  a  young  lady 
who  was  apparently  wholly  unconscious 
of  everything  about  her. 

"  For  heaven's  sake,  child !  "  Miss  As 
pinwall  almost  screamed  in  her  surprise. 
"  What  on  earth  are  you  doing  here?  " 

At  the  first  sound  of  the  voice  behind 
them  the  imps  had  scuttled  to  the  rocks, 
and  she  stood  alone,  facing  Laura  Lor 
raine. 

"  Oh,  Aunt  Harriet !  "  Laura  nearly 
fell  on  to  the  painter's  outstretched  arm. 
"I  —  I'm  so  glad  to  see  you !  I  believe 
—  I  wasn't  feeling  very  well." 

Miss  Aspinwall  tightened  her  grasp. 
"  Judging  from  appearances,"  she  said, 
180 


3H      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     H£ 

dryly,  "  I  should  say  you  weren't.  Did 
those  rascals  frighten  you?  What  are 
you  walking  for?  Where's  the  car 
riage?  " 

"  No,  they  didn't  bother  me.  I  haven't 
been  driving.  I  —  I  thought  it  would  do 
me  good  to  walk." 

"  You  haven't  walked  here  from  your 
house! " 

Laura  nodded  with  indifferent  weari 
ness. 

"  Child  alive !  You're  miles  from 
home!  And  with  a  face  like  that!  It's 
a  wonder  an  ambulance  hasn't  picked  you 
up  before  this.  What  in  the  world  were 
you  proposing  to  do,  anyway  ?  " 

"I  —  don't  know.  I  just  wanted  to 
get  away." 

Miss  Aspinwall  paid  no  heed  to  the 
tone  of  heavy  despair.  "  Well,  I  should 
say  you  had  got  there.  Which  being  the 
case,  it's  quite  time  you  started  back 
home.  And,  actually,  there's  the  means 
of  transportation."  She  hailed  a  passing 
cab  as  she  spoke.  "  Unheard-of  luck  in 
this  God-forsaken  region." 
181 


^     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

"  Oh,  don't !  "  Laura  clutched  her 
arm.  "  I  can't  go  home,  Aunt  Harriet ! 
I  can't." 

"  You  needn't,"  said  Miss  Aspinwall, 
successfully  concealing  her  astonishment 
at  the  words,  and  at  the  same  time  assist 
ing  the  girl  into  the  coupe.  "  I'll  take 
you  straight  to  the  studio,  where  you 
won't  even  see  sympathising  Aunt  Har 
mon." 

"  I'm  an  awful  trouble  to  you,"  mur 
mured  Laura,  sinking  into  a  corner  of 
the  seat.  "  But  —  but,  my  head  aches  so 
badly  I  really  can't  talk  to  anybody." 
She  was  thankful  that  that  at  least  was 
strict  truth. 

"  Don't  you  worry,"  said  Miss  Aspin 
wall,  cheerfully.  "  I  was  going  there, 
anyway,  and  it's  too  far  to  walk.  When 
we  get  there  you  shall  have  a  cup  of  tea 
that  will  send  your  headache  flying." 

There  was  just  a  comfortable  amount 
of  friendly,  uncurions  solicitude  in  her 
voice,  and  Laura  thankfully  settled  back 
against  the  arm  that  somehow  found  its 
way  behind  her.  Hardly  a  word  more 
182 


was  spoken  till  she  was  tucked  cosily  up 
on  the  window-seat  overlooking  the  park. 

"  There,"  said  Miss  Aspinwall,  flour 
ishing  the  sugar-tongs,  "  you'll  be  well 
instanter.  This  beverage  is  guaranteed 
to  cure  aching  heads  or  hearts,  stomach 
faintness  or  faint-heartedness,  dyspepsia, 
or  the  blues.  So  drink  and  be  happy." 

"  Oh !  "  cried  Laura,  in  a  burst,  as  she 
gulped  down  the  steaming  liquid,  "  I 
wish  I  could  be,  so  easily." 

Miss  Aspinwall  sat  down  beside  her. 
"Poor  little  girl!  Are  things  so  bad?" 

Her  tenderness  made  Laura  choke  dis 
mally.  Miss  Aspinwall,  who  had  her  own 
suspicions,  stroked  the  bowed  head,  inter 
nally  speculating  if  she  had  better  verify 
them. 

"  Now,  chicken,"  she  began,  presently, 
"  I'm  not  going  to  ask  any  questions. 
You  just  lie  here  and  be  as  comfy  as 
you  can,  and  don't  be  thinking  too  hard. 
Unless,  —  I'll  tell  you  what,  —  you  can 
spend  your  thoughts  on  me."  She  smiled 
mischievously.  "  Laura,  I'm  going  to 
impart  a  tremendous  secret.  You  are  not 
183 


SH      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

even  to  tell  your  mother  till  I  give  you 
permission.  The  Aspinwall  family  is 
shortly  to  become  extinct.  It  has  decided 
that  its  present  solitary  state  might  soon 
lead  to  bankruptcy.  Therefore,  it  is  going 
to  join  forces  with  another  party,  and  the 
name,  —  well,  the  name  will  be  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Thomas  Dinsmore." 

"  Oh,  Aunt  Harriet !  "  Miss  Aspin- 
wall's  face,  with  its  bewitching  flush,  dis 
appeared  in  Laura's  energetic  hug.  "  How 
perfectly  lovely!  And  isn't  he  a  lucky 
man !  "  The  extreme  conviction  expressed 
in  the  words  almost  sent  Miss  Aspinwall 
into  hysterics. 

"  You  shall  say  that  to  Tom  in  exactly 
that  tone.  Sometimes  outside  testimony 
counts  for  much." 

"  He  doesn't  need  it  at  all,"  cried 
Laura.  "  Everybody  can  see  he  thinks 
you're  the  loveliest  woman  in  the  world. 
You'll  be  very  happy,"  she  added,  with 
quick  wistfulness.  "  It's  nice  to  have 
somebody  happy." 

"  At  your  age,"  Miss  Aspinwall  was 
looking  straight  ahead,  but  she  slipped  her 
184 


3H      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ^ 

hand  into  Laura's  as  she  spoke,  "  I  was 
more  unhappy  than  you  can  probably  con 
ceive  of.  Did  you  ever  hear  how  I  es 
caped  from  my  mother  and  her  matri 
monial  plans  ?  No  ?  Well,  —  it  isn't  a 
cheerful  story,  but  it  won't  take  long  to 
tell.  When  I  was  eighteen  mother  took 
me  to  Paris  for  my  first  season.  There, 
it  was  soon  known  that  the  property, 
which  was  entirely  mother's  while  she 
lived,  would  be  unreservedly  mine  at  her 
death.  Forthwith,  of  course,  appeared 
the  usual  number  of  chivalrous  gentlemen 
anxious  to  give  me  the  protection  of  their 
ancient  and  impecunious  names.  One  of 
these  had  a  longer  and  older  patronymic 
than  all  the  rest  together.  Three  centuries 
before  it  really  had  stood  for  something 
in  the  civilisation  of  the  world.  The 
glamour  of  the  past  that  enveloped  its  syl 
lables,  and  a  very  adroit  method  of  flat 
tery  on  the  part  of  its  present  owner, 
settled  the  thing  in  my  mother's  mind. 
Monsieur  le  Due,  however  destitute  of 
money,  morals,  or  brains,  was  maternally 
accepted  for  my  husband.  I  had  abso- 
'85 


^H      COUNCILS   OF   CRCESUS     HS- 

lutely  no  voice  in  the  matter.  Tears  and 
pleadings  were  as  useless  as  furious  re 
fusals.  My  rebellious  state  only  hurried 
the  matter  on.  Monsieur  le  Due  and 
Madame  la  Mere  both  would  feel  safer 
after  the  ceremony.  So,  instead  of  having 
the  groom  come  to  America,  we  were  to 
be  irretrievably  bound  in  Paris  before  we 
sailed." 

Even  after  fifteen  years  she  could  not 
keep  out  of  her  voice  the  vibrant  passion 
that  was  a  memento  of  that  time.  Laura, 
who  had  been  leaning  forward  with  a 
white,  intense  face,  shivered  at  that  last 
sentence. 

"What  —  what  did  you  do?"  she 
whispered. 

Miss  Aspinwall  laughed  shortly,  and 
swept  the  girl's  face  with  a  swift,  pene 
trating  glance.  "  Do  ?  I  didn't  do  any 
thing  at  first.  Just  moaned  and  groaned 
and  trembled  like  any  other  young  fool. 
Then  one  day  it  came  over  me  with  a 
realisation  I  had  never  had  before  that 
in  less  than  ten  days  I  would  be  the  wife 
of  that  brute.  Somehow,  the  Lord  only 
186 


$H      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     Hf 

knows  how,  all  my  weakness  and  cringing 
fear  were  gone.  Since  there  was  no  one 
else  to  help  me,  I  would  help  myself.  And 
I  made  my  plans  just  as  if  I'd  always  been 
engaged  in  that  practice.  I  got  permis 
sion  to  visit  a  girl  friend  out  beyond  Fon- 
tainebleau.  My  maid,  who  was  once  my 
nurse,  was  dispatched  with  me,  and  the 
powers  that  were  concluded  I  was  begin 
ning  to  regain  my  senses.  Well,  —  it 
didn't  need  any  persuading  on  my  part 
to  induce  Connor  to  agree  to  all  my  plans. 
She  had  as  sincere  a  hatred  for  the  Due 
as  I  had.  We  simply  didn't  go  to  the 
friend's  at  all.  We  went  to  Havre,  and 
took  a  steamer  that  was  leaving  for  New 
York  the  very  next  day.  And  before  it 
was  discovered  that  I  had  disappeared 
from  France,  we  were  more  than  half-way 
across  the  ocean."  She  stopped  abruptly 
and  shook  her  head  at  Laura's  strained 
expression.  "  I  guess  such  stories  are 
not  the  best  medicine  for  headaches,"  she 
said,  remorsefully.  "  Don't  look  so 
wretched,  goosie.  You  see  it  all  came 
out  well,  after  all." 

187 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

"  But  —  your  mother  —  what  did  she 
do?  What  happened  when  you  got 
here?" 

Her  excited,  breathless  state  sent  a  chill 
over  Miss  Aspinwall.  "  The  Lord  forgive 
me  if  I'm  making  mischief,"  she  breathed, 
silently. 

"  Before  I  left  Havre,"  she  said, 
quietly,"  I  cabled  Aunt  Harmon  to  meet 
me.  She  knew  of  the  contemplated  match 
and  of  my  feelings.  The  dear  old  lady 
was  wholly  on  my  side,  and  received  me 
with  open  arms.  There  was  a  cable  from 
my  mother  awaiting  me,  saying  that  if  I 
didn't  take  the  next  steamer  back  I  need 
never  consider  myself  her  daughter 
again." 

Laura  gasped,  and  turned  so  deadly 
white  that  Miss  Aspinwall  sprang  up  in 
consternation,  with  a  malediction  upon 
her  own  stupidity.  But  the  girl  recovered 
herself  at  once. 

''  It  isn't  anything,"  she  insisted,  "  I 
was  just  a  little  faint.  Please,  please, 
Aunt  Harriet,  finish  it  for  me." 

"  I  feel  like  Scheherazade,"  said  the 
188 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

story-teller,  grimly.  "  There  isn't  much 
more  to  finish.  Naturally  I  wouldn't  go 
back.  Aunt  Harmon  was  glad  to  give 
me  a  home  with  her.  Very  soon  I  began 
to  study  painting.  As  for  my  mother," 

—  she  got  up  and  put  away  the  tea-caddy, 

—  "I  never  saw  her  again  till  a  few  days 
before   she  died,   in   Paris,   about   seven 
years  ago." 

The  pause  that  followed  was  unbroken, 
till  Miss  Aspinwall  surreptitiously  glanc 
ing  at  the  slight  figure  lying  so  still 
among  the  cushions,  once  more  sat  down 
beside  her. 

"  It  all  seems  dreadful  to  you,  Pussie, 
doesn't  it  ?  "  she  said,  lightly,  "  but  you 
must  remember  that  there  is  as  much  dif 
ference  in  mothers  as  there  is  in  —  aunts, 
for  instance!  And  then,  my  dear,  if  I 
hadn't  refused  to  be  sold  in  those  callow 
days,  I  never  could  have  come  into  the 
happiness  of  these  ancient  ones." 

Laura  gazed  with  fascinated,  troubled 
eyes  at  the  tender  love-light  shining  on 
the  older  woman's  face,  and  then,  with  a 


189 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

smothered  cry,  she  threw  herself  into  her 
arms. 

"  Oh !  "  she  sobbed,  "  I  wasn't  blaming 
you.  I  was  only  admiring.  You  were 
brave  and  true,  and  deserve  all,  every 
thing." 

Miss  Aspinwall  held  her  close,  wonder 
ing  what  in  the  world  was  best  to  say. 
In  the  midst  of  her  perplexity,  Laura 
slipped  from  her  arms  and  began  to  pull 
on  her  coat. 

"  I'm  going  home,  Aunt  Harriet.  It's 
foolish  to  make  such  a  fuss  over  a  head 
ache,"  she  said  to  Miss  Aspinwall's  sur 
prised  expostulation.  There  was  only 
great  \veariness  in  her  voice.  All  the  tense 
excitement  was  gone,  and  she  was  once 
more  the  calmly  reserved,  quiet  Laura 
Lorraine. 


190 


COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

[HE  night  before  "Jack's 
day  "  was  also  the  next  to 
the  last  at  the  opera,  with 
a  star  cast  in  "  The  Magic 
Flute."  It  was  a  great  favourite  with 
Laura,  and  she  would  usually  have  re 
belled  at  any  engagement  that  kept  her 
from  it.  To-night  she  let  her  mother  go 
without  her,  saying  only  that  she  had  a 
headache  and  didn't  want  to  hear  any 
music.  It  was  the  first  time  that  Mrs. 
Lorraine  fully  realised  how  wan  the  child 
was,  how  heavy  and  dimmed  her  eyes. 
Through  all  the  first  act  she  could  see 
nothing  but  this  piteous  face,  and  every 
minute  her  accusing  conscience  made  her 
own  discomfort  grow.  Miss  Aspinwall's 
arrival,  before  the  second  act,  came  as  a 
thankful  release  from  her  disconcerting 
thoughts.  The  artist,  however,  was  not 
there  to  make  things  easier. 
191 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

"  Helen,"  she  began,  without  preamble, 
"what's  the  matter  with  Laura?" 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know."  Mrs.  Lor 
raine's  evident  irritation  was  not  the  best 
proof  of  her  alleged  ignorance.  "  She 
hasn't  complained  of  being  sick." 

"  Complained,"  sniffed  the  other. 
"  Sick !  No,  —  I  don't  suppose  she  has, 
or  is,  for  that  matter.  But  she  looks  like 
a  twenty-year  ghost.  I  met  her  wander 
ing  among  the  goats  in  the  back  alleys 
of  Harlem  the  other  day.  She  might  have 
been  the  walking  prototype  of  the  Lost 
Hope.  If  I  didn't  suppose  I  knew  better 
I  should  say  she  was  a  victim  of  some 
wildly  unhappy  love  affair.  But  that  cer 
tainly  doesn't  seem  exactly  in  the  region 
of  Laura's  possibilities." 

"  Well,  no,  not  precisely,"  said  her 
mother,  dryly. 

"  All  the  same,  it's  just  as  well  not  to 
rely  too  strongly  upon  the  supposed  cal 
lousness  of  such  placid  natures.  In  my 
opinion,  that  calm  daughter  of  yours  is 
somehow  in  a  very  whirlpool  of  trouble 
and  fear.  If  she  belonged  to  me,"  Miss 
192 


3H      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     H£ 

Aspinwall  looked  with  steady  emphasis 
straight  into  her  friend's  eyes,  "  I  should 
be  very  much  afraid  that  if  the  trouble 
was  not  lessened  she  would  do  something 
desperate." 

The  orchestra  began  again,  and  the 
painter,  who  went  to  the  opera  for  the 
sake  of  the  music,  dropped  all  further 
conversation. 

Her  words,  however,  had  accomplished 
more  than  she  could  have  suspected. 
Added  to  Mrs.  Lorraine's  vivid  memory 
of  Laura's  face  that  evening,  they  com 
pleted  her  total  discomfort.  There  was 
no  doubt  about  it.  The  child  certainly 
had  a  perfect  horror  of  the  marriage  with 
Sir  Robert.  And  she  didn't  show  any 
signs  of  getting  over  it.  Perhaps  there 
was  even  danger  that  she  might,  as  Har 
riet  suggested,  grow  desperate.  Heavens ! 
How  abominably  different  it  all  was  from 
what  she  had  hoped!  She  had  tried  to 
plan  for  Laura's  greatest  happiness,  and 
she  was  apparently  driving  her  into 
misery.  Almost  anything  was  better  than 
such  a  consciousness.  That  would  be  a 


•SH     COUNCILS   OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

much  worse  failure  than  to  give  up  the 
whole  thing,  even  at  this  late  day.  Be 
sides,  who  knew?  Perhaps,  if  she  didn't 
force  her  now,  Laura  might  by  and  by 
think  of  Sir  Robert  more  favourably. 
That  was  surely  not  uncharacteristic  of 
girl  nature.  In  any  case,  there  was  no 
use,  she  couldn't  stand  it  if  Laura  contin 
ued  to  look  as  she  did  now.  Why,  before 
long,  all  the  world  would  be  saying  Mrs. 
Lorraine  had  sold  her  daughter.  The 
thought  was  intolerable.  There  was  no 
more  indecision  in  her  mind.  She  would 
tell  Laura  that  very  night  that  she  need 
never  marry  the  baronet.  Having  reached 
this  point,  sitting  there  doing  nothing 
when  Laura  was  probably  suffering  tor 
ments  at  home,  became  unbearable.  Be 
fore  Miss  Aspinwall  noticed  that  she  had 
gone,  she  was  in  her  carriage,  driving 
rapidly  home. 


"  But  I  don't  understand." 
Mrs.   Lorraine  stopped  in  surprise  at 
the  top  of  her  first  flight.    That  was  cer- 
194 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

tainly  Jack's  voice  from  behind  the  por 
tieres  of  the  Indian  room.  Before  she 
could  turn  to  enter,  something  that 
sounded  strangely  like  a  sob  followed  the 
words.  Instinctively  she  listened,  too 
startled  to  be  sure  where  it  came  from. 

"  It's  only  what  I  have  been  telling  you 
for  nearly  three  weeks." 

There  was  no  doubt  now.  That  utterly 
hopeless,  broken  voice  was  Laura's.  It 
affected  her  mother  curiously.  She  hardly 
knew  whether  to  break  in  upon  the  two, 
or  to  wait  till  Jack  had  gone.  There 
was  something  in  the  air,  so  to  speak,  that 
made  her  feel  strangely  unquiet.  While 
she  hesitated,  with  her  hand  actually  on 
the  portiere.  Jack  spoke  again. 

"  But  it  can't  be  true,  Laura !  Sweet 
heart  !  Don't  look  like  that." 

Mrs.  Lorraine  clutched  the  drapery  till 
it  swayed  with  her  weight.  Inside  the 
two  young  voices  went  on,  and  now  the 
listener  was  half  crouched  on  the  floor, 
her  ears  strained  not  to  miss  a  word.  For 
the  roaring  in  her  head  and  the  queer 


'95 


•37=; 


COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS 


dancing  lights  before  her  eyes  made  it 
very  hard  to  hear  at  all. 

"  Oh,  but,  Jack,  my  own  dear  Jack, 
there's  no  help  for  it.  I've  got  to  marry 
Sir  Robert." 

"  Stuff  and  nonsense !  "  Apparently  he 
had  bounced  to  his  feet  and  was  stamping 
about  excitedly.  "  Why,  it's  the  most 
ridiculous  thing  I  ever  heard  of.  You 
don't  have  to  marry  anybody  but  me. 
Aren't  you  of  age?  Nobody  can  force 
you." 

Then,  after  a  pause,  the  crouching, 
listening  woman  heard  a  quick  step  and 
then  a  rustle.  And  she  knew  as  well  as 
if  she  saw  that  the  big  fellow  had  stooped 
and  gathered  the  girl  into  his  arms.  And 
she  knew,  too,  that  no  Inquisition  had 
ever  torn  one's  heart  with  such  an  agony 
of  torture. 

"  Dear !  "  —  She  had  dreamed  of  a 
tenderness  like  that !  —  "  Don't  despair. 
After  all,  the  trouble  is  much  of  our  own 
making.  Have  you  ever  given  your 
mother  a  single  hint  that  you  loved  me  ?  " 

"  Why,  you  know  I  haven't.  I  told 
196 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      & 

you  long  ago  that  she  would  never  let 
me  marry  you." 

"  Yes,  but  I  never  could  see  why,  when 
she  was  so  nice  to  me." 

"  Oh,  I  know !  You  thought  we  ought 
to  tell  her.  But  she  had  changed  so  sud 
denly  !  I  wanted  to  be  perfectly  sure  that 
she  really  did  like  you.  It  was  all  so 
extraordinary  —  the  way  she  treated  you, 
that  I  couldn't  believe  in  it.  I  —  oh,  I 
was  scared  all  the  time.  You  knew  it. 
You  knew  that  was  why  I  almost  never 
saw  you  except  as  we  met  out  walking." 

"  I  felt  then  we  were  making  a  mistake. 
Now  I  wish  I  had  gone  to  her  much  earlier 
than  I  did." 

"  What  good  would  it  have  done? 
What  good  did  it  do?  Right  after  she 
gave  you  every  reason  to  hope  she  might 
be  good  to  us,  she  began  talking  Sir 
Robert  to  me."  There  was  no  vindictive- 
ness  in  her  tones,  —  only  abject  misery. 

"  Poor  little  sweetheart !  "     Again  that 

depth  of  tenderness !     "  I  know.     But  if 

you  had  told  her  then  just  how  it  was, 

how  it  was  nothing  we  had  planned.  How 

197 


$H      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     H£ 

we  had  begun  somehow,  without  thinking 
much  about  it,  to  meet  when  you  \vere  out 
walking.  And  how  suddenly  we  had 
found  out  what  was  in  my  heart  even 
at  the  Oakes.  Dearest,  then,  then,  I  am 
sure  things  must  have  been  different  by 
now." 

"  Different !  "  Helen  Lorraine  won 
dered  how  long  one  could  endure  such 
pain.  Different,  indeed!  If  that  wild, 
incredible  hope  of  hers  had  not  had  those 
three  weeks  to  feed  upon  and  grow  so 
strong  and  lusty,  surely  it  could  have 
come  to  its  death  much  easier. 

"  Jack !  dear  Jack !  You  don't  know 
mother  as  well  as  I  do.  If  she  meant  to 
let  us  come  together,  why  did  she  never 
even  mention  you  to  me  after  your  talk 
with  her?  Oh,  I  don't  understand  why 
she  gave  you  such  encouragement.  Per 
haps  you  misunderstood." 

Misunderstood!  Ah!  she  hadn't 
thought  of  the  humiliation  before.  What 
a  blind  fool  she  had  been  that  night  and 
ever  since! 

"  Why,"  went  on  Jack,  —  she  lost  the 
198 


first  of  his  reply,  —  "  she  told  me  almost 
literally  that  in  three  weeks  she  would 
give  me  my  heart's  desire.  My  heart's 
desire !  " 

Again  that  soft  silence  —  worse  than 
all  the  stabbing  words. 

"  Well  "  —  it  was  Laura's  voice  —  "  it 
is  all  beyond  my  understanding.  Only, 
almost  from  the  beginning  I  have  known 
mother  would  not  want  me  to  marry  you. 
And  she  never  changes  her  mind.  She 
never  nagged  like  some  girls'  mothers,  but 
all  my  life  I've  known  that  any  wish  or 
suggestion  of  hers  was  as  binding  as  an 
absolute  command.  But  she  always 
planned  for  my  good.  Always  —  al 
ways,  and  even  now  she  thinks  she  is 
doing  the  best  thing  for  me." 

"  But  that's  just  it.  Of  course  she 
thinks  so.  And  when  we  show  her  defi 
nitely  that  it  isn't,  —  why,  it's  absurd  to 
suppose  she'll  insist  upon  that  hateful 
marriage.  She  couldn't  do  that  and  be 
the  mother  she  is.  The  very  thought  of 
such  a  thing  is  an  insult  to  that  glorious, 
beautiful  woman." 

199 


3H      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

"  Glorious,  beautiful !  "  Ah !  at  least, 
it  had  not  all  been  pretence.  He  did 
admire  and  like  her.  Perhaps  it  made 
the  pain  worse,  but  she  was  unspeakably 
glad  he  was  not  a  hypocrite. 

"  Now,  Laura,  love,"  he  was  continu 
ing,  and  the  woman  behind  the  curtain 
stopped  thinking  to  listen,  "  to-morrow 
you  and  I  go  together  and  tell  her  plainly 
what  we  are  to  each  other.  And  unless 
1  don't  know  her  at  all.  she  is  going  to 
say,  '  Bless  you,  my  children,'  with  all 
her  heart." 

"  Oh,  Jack !  I  don't  dare,  I  don't  dare. 
Just  as  sure  as  you  do,  everything  is  over. 
I  shall  have  to  marry  Sir  Robert  right 
off.  Oh,  you  don't  know  her  as  I  do. 
She  is  lovely,  —  everything  you  say,  — 
but  nobody  ever  goes  against  her  will. 
Jack!  Jack!  If  you  love  me,  don't  do 
that.  It  would  mean  to  lose  you  for  ever, 
—  and  I  can't  bear  it.  Jack."  She  broke 
down  completely,  weeping  bitterly. 

So  that  was  the  kind  of  woman  her  own 
daughter  thought  her!  Could  she  de 
serve  that  too?  Was  there  to  be  no  end 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CROESUS      ¥& 

to  her  disgrace?  Oh,  but  thank  Heaven! 
Jack  did  not  agree  with  her! 

"  But,  Laura,  what  shall  we  do  ? 
Things  can't  go  on  this  way  much  longer. 
I  am  to  see  Mrs.  Lorraine  to-morrow, 
anyhow.  What  am  I  to  tell  her  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know.  But  if  we  tell  her, 
we  lose  each  other  for  ever." 

"  Dearest !  You  are  all  unstrung. 
Think  how  impossible  that  is !  Even  sup 
posing  she  was  the  monster  you  think, 
that  couldn't  be  true.  Why  —  if  things 
were  so  bad,  I'd  pick  you  up  in  my  arms 
and  lug  you  off,  whether  or  no,  before 
the  face  of  the  whole  world."  And  he 
actually  laughed  at  his  cowering  sweet 
heart. 

The  listening  woman  clenched  her 
hands.  How  the  words  conveyed  the  pic 
ture  to  her  mind!  She  could  almost  see 
that  backward  throw  of  his  head  as  he 
said  them. 

Laura's  sobs  had  stopped.  "  Do  you 
mean  that  ?  " 

The  low,  husky  intentness  somehow 
sent  a  shiver  through  the  woman  outside. 

201 


3%     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

"Mean  it?  Do  you  suppose  if  that 
was  the  only  way  to  get  you,  I  would 
hesitate?  I  might  never  have  tried  to 
win  you  if  I  hadn't  believed  your  mother 
was  willing.  But  once  sure  of  your 
love —  '  his  voice  broke,  and  then  went 
on  very  low.  "  Heaven  knows  I  don't 
deserve  that  love.  But  at  least  I  am  not 
poltroon  enough  to  lose  it  once  it  has 
become  mine." 

Again  that  long,  vibrating  silence! 
Would  they  never  go  on?  Anything 
was  better  than  this. 

It  was  Laura  who  spoke  next,  at  first 
so  softly  that  some  of  her  words  failed  to 
reach  her  mother's  ears. 

"  You  will  think  —  I  am  horrid.  But, 
—  unless  you  want  to  give  me  up,  —  I've 
thought  and  thought  without  —  never 
give  her  consent.  And  I  know  —  shall 
have  to  give  in.  There's  only  one  way. 
You  must  tell  her  afterwards.  Marry  me 
first." 

"  Laura !  "  The  astonishment  in  Jack's 
voice  answered  to  the  horror  that  swept 
into  Helen  Lorraine's  heart. 

202 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

"  Oh,  isn't  it  dreadful  that  I  should 
suggest  such  a  thing  to  you!  But  see! 
I  know  mother  —  but  I  know  myself  still 
better.  If  I  am  not  absolutely  bound  to 
you  by  law,  I  know  I  shall  give  in  to  her 
—  and  marry  Sir  Robert." 

"  My  poor  little  sweetheart !  And  it 
is  I  who  have  put  you  into  such  a  strait 
as  this !  " 

"  Oh,  no  no !  "  The  one  outside  did 
not  have  to  see  the  way  she  clung  to  him. 
"  But  I  love  you  so !  I  can't  lose  you !  " 

"  And  you're  certainly  not  going  to. 
Do  you  think  I  am  to  have  no  say  to  all 
this?  If  you  agree  forty  times  to  marry 
Sir  Robert,  that's  nothing  to  me.  You 
have  promised  to  be  my  wife  first,  — 
and  we  love  each  other.  I'll  kidnap  you 
with  pleasure  —  as  a  last  resort.  But 
first  I  go  to  a  beautiful  woman  and  ask 
her  fairly  for  her  daughter.  And  don't 
you  worry,  sweetheart.  It's  your  mother 
who  will  set  our  wedding-day." 

Afterwards  Helen  Lorraine  thought  she 
must  have  lost  consciousness  for  a  few 
minutes.     The  sudden  breaking  of  that 
203 


-SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

last  tension  had  been  too  much  for  her 
overstrained  nerves.  The  next  thing  she 
heard  was  Jack  saying,  cheerfully,  "  It's 
awfully  late,  and  you  ought  to  be  abed. 
I'm  going  this  minute." 

Hardly  knowing  what  she  was  doing, 
she  had  sense  enough  to  get  away.  It 
must  have  been  hours  later  when  she  came 
to  herself  sufficiently  to  realise  that  she 
was  lying  on  the  couch  in  her  own  room 
dressed  just  as  she  had  come  from  the 
opera. 


204 


COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS 


CHAPTER    XV. 

|NE,  two,  three,  four,  rang 
out  the  silver  chimes  in  the 
hall.  And  Jack  was  due  at 
half-past.  For  a  minute 
Helen  Lorraine  stopped  in  her  aimless 
walk  about  the  drawing-room.  Would 
Laura  come  with  him?  She  hadn't  seen 
her  all  day.  Ever  since  breakfast,  which 
she  had  taken  at  an  abnormally  early 
hour,  she  had  given  her  horses  no  rest. 
Up  and  down  Broadway,  in  and  out  of 
Twenty-third  Street,  stopping  at  one 
store  after  another  and  then  returning  to 
the  first,  she  had  kept  them  at  a  feverish 
gait.  James,  who  had  driven  Mrs.  Lor 
raine  since  the  first  year  of  her  married 
life,  shook  his  head  at  the  footman  when 
that  youth  muttered  something  about 
"  She'd  need  a  Jack-in-the-box  to  be 
ready  to  help  her  out." 

"  The    missis,"     said    James,     senten- 
tiously,  "  do  be  havin'  somethin'  on  her 
205 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

mind.  I  hiven't  seen  the  luke  av  her  face 
since  the  firrrst  years  she  was  marryied. 
When  the  likes  av  her  have  such  a  luke 
in  their  big  eyes,  'tis  I  praise  the  saints 
me  airly  thrainin's  toughened  me  own 
hide!  'Tis  throuble,  me  bye.  And  if  she 
can  tak'  a  bit  av  it  out  av  me  an'  the 
craythers,  'taint  you  need  be  objectin'." 
Strangely  enough,  Helen  had  almost 
grown  unconscious  of  any  acute  suffer 
ing.  Instead,  she  felt  benumbed,  both 
mentally  and  physically.  Along  with  this 
sensation  of  leaden  weight  she  had  a 
dread  that,  unless  she  kept  moving,  she 
would  soon  lose  all  power  of  locomotion. 
There  was,  however,  one  corner  of  her 
brain  evidently  still  active.  For  over  and 
over  it  kept  repeating,  "  What  are  you 
going  to  do?  Will  you  see  Jack?  Alone? 
Or  with  Laura  ?  "  No  answer  was  ever 
forthcoming,  and  she  had  a  vague  hope 
that,  if  she  could  only  walk  fast  enough 
and  keep  busy  enough,  they  would  by  and 
by  cease  altogether.  But  at  three  o'clock 
they  were  still  whirling  as  dizzily  as  ever. 
With  a  faint  perception  that  horses  and 
206 


-SH      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

servants  needed  food,  she  abandoned  her 
pilgrimage  from  store  to  store  and  gave 
the  homeward  order. 

And  now,  Jack  \vould  be  here.  Cer 
tainly  she  could  not  meet  him  this  way. 
She  had  got  to  decide  upon  something. 
Was  there  nothing  to  keep  that  rolling 
brain  still  long  enough  to  answer  its  own 
questions?  With  a  desperate  longing  for 
help,  she  turned  swiftly  and  found  herself 
facing  the  tall  mirror  at  the  far  end  of  the 
room.  Slowly  she  walked  toward  it  with 
eyes  widening  at  every  step.  Was  that 
what  one  night  had  done?  Could  such 
lines  come  in  a  few  hours?  That  drawn, 
pinched,  chalky  face,  with  the  eyes  that 
looked  like  live  coals,  Helen  Lorraine? 
And  that  dreadful  stoop  of  the  shoulders ! 
Little  by  little,  as  she  studied  her  dupli 
cate,  a  growing  horror  took  the  place  of 
the  monotonous,  never-ending  questions. 
If  that  was  the  way  she  appeared,  there 
was  no  need  for  her  to  wonder  what  she 
should  say  to  Jack.  He  would  read  the 
whole  story,  without  any  words  from  her. 

207 


$H      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H? 

No  one,  not  even  Laura,  could  misinter 
pret  such  a  face  as  that. 

"  Mr.  Wilton,"  announced  the  butler  at 
the  door  behind  her. 

The  woman  at  the  mirror  looked  wildly 
about  for  a  chance  to  escape.  It  was  too 
late.  He  was  already  by  the  window, 
and  must  have  seen  her  as  he  entered. 
And  then,  suddenly,  the  ghastly  white 
of  her  face  was  mostly  gone.  The  lines 
were  smoothed  nearly  to  obliteration  and 
she  was,  to  casual  inspection,  very  much 
her  usual  contained  self.  It  was  partly, 
doubtless,  the  automatic  reply  of  her  long 
disciplined  nature  to  any  demands  made 
upon  it  by  society.  But  it  was  more  than 
that.  As  the  queer  numbness  that  had 
bowed  her  down  all  day  gradually  wore 
off  in  the  terror  at  the  mirror's  revelation, 
there  came  in  its  place  the  acute  realisa 
tion  of  what  it  all  meant.  And  the  agony 
of  this  brought  the  power  to  hide  its  rav 
ages. 

"  You  are  prompt,  Sir  Knight."  It 
would  have  taken  keener  and  more  ex 
perienced  ears  than  Jack's  to  detect  any 
208 


&S     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

minor  note  in  the  gay  greeting.  After 
all,  he  had  not  noticed,  and  she  had  a 
chance  to  see  his  expression  before  he 
knew  she  was  near.  It  at  once  put  her 
still  more  on  guard.  There  was  trouble 
in  it,  but  there  was  a  sort  of  suppressed 
fear,  too,  and  into  her  mind  flashed  a 
wonder  if  perhaps,  at  last,  he  had  begun 
to  suspect. 

"  I  wish  I  could  have  been  even 
prompter,"  he  said,  as  he  shook  hands. 

"  Yes,  I  know.  And  I  wouldn't  let 
you."  She  led  the  way  over  to  the  sofa. 
"  But  there  really  was  no  hurry,  and  a 
little  lesson  in  patience  wasn't  the  worse 
discipline  for  you." 

"  The  same  charming,  interesting,  won 
derfully  congenial  woman  he  had  known 
for  so  many  weeks,"  thought  Jack.  Un 
consciously  he  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief. 
Mrs.  Lorraine  smiled  at  the  way  the  sigh 
hurt  her. 

"  Now,  then,  my  dear  boy,"  she  placed 

herself  back  to  the  light,  "  what  is  the 

question  you  want  me  to  say  '  yes  '  to?  " 

"  Harriet  was  right,"  she  was  saying  to 

209 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      & 

herself.  "  Modern  society  had  ways  of 
teaching  calm  indifference  that  the  old 
Spartans  never  imagined." 

"  Then  you  don't  know  ?  What  a  fool 
I  was  not  to  tell  you  plainly!  And  yet, 
—  I  was  so  sure  you  understood !  "  His 
words  tumbled  over  one  another  in  min 
gled  distress  and  self-reproach. 

And  Mrs.  Lorraine  smiled  again.  How 
young  he  was ! 

"  I  thought  at  first  I  did  understand. 
Lately  I've  thought  I  didn't.  You  —  you 
weren't  asking  me  to  let  you  build  my 
Lenox  place?"  With  her  face  in  the 
shade,  she  dared  look  squarely  at  him. 

"  Build  your  Lenox  place?  "  He  stared 
at  her  with  unutterable  astonishment. 
She  thanked  Heaven  there  was  as  yet  no 
hint  of  incredulity  beside. 

"  We  were  talking  of  your  future,  you 
know,"  she  went  on,  quickly  but  evenly, 
"  and  you  had  been  so  delighted  about  the 
Tabor  house,  —  and  you  knew  I  was 
thinking  of  rebuilding  at  Lenox." 

"  But,  Mrs.  Lorraine !  To  ask  you  for 
the  work !  " 

2IO 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

'  You  mean  it  was  too  much  to  ask  ? 
Why,  then,"  apparently  much  relieved, 
**'  then  I've  guessed  wrong  again.  I  was 
afraid  you  were  going  to  demand  much 
more  than  that." 

But  he  was  ready  for  her.  "  That's  just 
it.  A  million  times  more."  He  stood  up, 
tall  and  straight,  before  her.  "  I  don't 
think  I  have  been  quite  fair,  Mrs.  Lor 
raine.  I  don't  know  if  you  have  guessed. 
It  is  our  fault  if  you  haven't.  Three 
weeks  ago  I  was  sure  you  did  know, 
but  —  "  He  crimsoned  furiously  as  he 
looked  away. 

It  took  all  her  training  to  keep  her  own 
face  impassive.  She  did  not  even  at 
tempt  to  speak. 

"  But  evidently  you  didn't,"  he  contin 
ued,  still  not  looking  at  her.  "  And  —  we 
—  I  am  to  blame.  We  have  hardly  seen 
each  other  in  society  at  all.  We  —  I  —  " 
he  once  more  faced  her  fully,  and  his  voice 
was  steady  —  "I  love  Laura,  Mrs.  Lor 
raine,  with  all  my  heart.  I  ought  to  have 
told  you  long  ago,  for  we  have  been 


211 


^H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

meeting  each  other  very  often  —  and  — 
she  loves  me." 

It  couldn't  be  harder  than  she  had  ex 
pected,  she  assured  herself,  bitterly.  But 
as  she  looked  at  the  clear,  strong  face 
that  pleaded  mutely,  she  almost  broke.  A 
wild  longing  came  upon  her  to  test  him, 
to  win  for  herself  by  whatever  means 
some  of  that  love-light  in  his  eyes.  Des 
perately  she  fought  the  impulse  while  she 
groped  for  harmless  words. 

"  You  were  not  —  exactly  —  frank." 
There  was  no  hint  of  struggle  in  her  voice, 
but  she  had  unconsciously  bent  out  of 
the  shadow7.  It  was  only  for  a  minute, 
but  it  was  long  enough  for  Jack  to  see 
her  eyes.  Afterwards,  he  told  himself 
sternly  that  he  had  dreamed  he  saw  the 
agony  within  them.  He  had  not  stopped 
to  reason  when,  with  a  strange  pressure 
in  his  throat,  he  dropped  on  his  knee  be 
side  her,  and  took  her  hand  between  both 
of  his. 

"  Dear  Mrs.  Lorraine."  Her  face  was 
back  in  the  shadow  now,  but  for  very 
fear  he  did  not  lift  his  lids.  "  Dear  Mrs. 

212 


-SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

Lorraine/'  he  whispered  again,  and  held 
the  hand  close  to  his  cheek. 

And  though  she  knew  too  well  the 
risk  she  ran,  for  a  little  Helen  Lorraine 
could  only  sit  there  speechless.  Then, 
slowly,  she  lifted  her  other  hand  till  it 
rested  on  his  dark  hair.  "  You  have 
been,"  she  began,  painfully,  when  with  a 
cry  of  "  Mother !  "  the  hall  portieres  were 
torn  apart,  and  Laura  rushed  headlong 
into  the  room. 

"  Thank  Heaven !  "  Her  mother  al 
most  said  it  aloud,  as  she  sank  back  weak 
from  the  sudden  lifting  of  the  strain. 

Jack  was  on  his  feet  and  half-way  over 
to  Laura  before  she  perceived  that  he  was 
there. 

"  Oh,  Jack !  "  she  cried,  despairingly, 
"  then  I'm  too  late."  His  strange  look 
frightened  her  with  its  possible  meaning. 

"  We  were  both  late,"  he  said,  un 
evenly,  pulling  himself  together  with  an 
effort,  "  but  now,  I  think  you  are  just  in 
time."  He  did  not  need  to  look  toward 
the  sofa.  Laura  had  left  him  before  he 
finished. 

.213 


-SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ^ 

"  Mother !  "  She  threw  herself  before 
her.  "  Did  he  tell  you  ?  Did  he  tell  you 
how  I  wanted  to  run  away  and  marry  him 
before  you  knew  at  all?  Oh,  I  don't 
deserve  to  be  forgiven."  She  clasped  her 
arms  about  her  mother,  while  she  went  on, 
pantingly,  "  But  you  don't  know,  oh, 
mother,  you  don't  know  what  it  is  to 
love  him  with  all  your  heart  and  soul, 
and  to  be  afraid  you  can  never  be  his 
wife." 

"  Ah!  "  Helen  Lorraine  stifled  the  cry 
that  sprang  to  her  trembling  lips.  Clasp 
ing  the  girl  close  to  her  heart,  she  whis 
pered,  brokenly,  "  I  am  the  one  to  be  for 
given.  But  I'll  try  to  make  it  up  to  you 
now,  dear.  Jack,"  she  called,  softly. 

And  Jack,  who  was  standing  by  the 
wrindow,  seeing  nothing  for  the  blur  be 
fore  him,  turned  to  take  his  sweetheart 
from  her  mother's  hands. 


214 


THE    WALDORF  -  ASTORIA 


COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

i  HE  corridors  and  parlours  of 
the  Waldorf-Astoria  were  in 

B9M 

jEO  a  more  than  usually  kaleido 
scopic  condition.  There  was 
to  be  a  big  meeting  of  the  directors  and 
managers  of  one  of  the  great  trust- 
corporations.  And  the  magnates  had 
brought  themselves  and  their  wives  to  the 
house  generally  regarded  in  the  West  as 
being  the  only  hotel  in  the  metropolis. 
Some  of  these  delegates  had  but  recently 
gained  their  managerial  positions,  and  it 
was  mostly  they  whose  wives  were  along. 
And  the  wives  wore  all  their  recently  ac 
quired  diamonds  and  new  imported 
"  model  "  gowns  of  lace  and  crepe  and 
chiffon.  But  they  were  not  alone  in  the 
taste  that  trailed  such  fete,  dinner,  and 
reception  "  creations "  from  midday  to 
midnight  through  the  public  rooms.  In 
the  promenades  of  this  great  house  one 
might  fancy  himself  back  in  the  seventies, 
215 


SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H3- 

when  the  streets,  the  cars,  and  the  hotels 
were  always  full  of  these  bejewelled,  be- 
ruffled,  and  gaudily  overbedecked  Ameri 
can  women. 

Besides  the  legitimate  guests  and  out 
side  sightseers  that  throng  the  Waldorf, 
there  are  always  never-ending  streams  of 
resident  New  Yorkers.  The  side-shows, 
so  to  speak,  are  one  of  the  reasons  for 
their  presence.  This  morning  the  chief  of 
these  irregular  attractions  was  a  short, 
wheezy,  needle-eyed  Persian,  with  ingra 
tiating  manner,  and  a  collection  of  Eastern 
rugs  and  embroideries.  Somehow  he  and 
his  wares  had  won  society's  attention. 
Society,  therefore,  sedulously  swarmed 
into  his  crowded,  incense-perfumed  rooms, 
and  as  the  rooms  grew  empty,  his  pockets 
bulged  the  fatter,  and  his  greasy  smile 
waxed  the  wider  and  more  deprecating. 

Aunt  Harmon  hated  all  Easterners.  Be 
sides,  to  her,  who  had  spent  the  large  part 
of  her  life  in  that  Philadelphian  or  Bos- 
tonese  New  York,  Washington  Square, 
the  degeneracy  that  had  come  to  the  whole 
city  was  never  more  flamboyantly  in 
216 


^     COUNCILS   OF   CRCESUS     ^ 

evidence  than  within  this  palace-hotel. 
Nevertheless,  she  had  heard  of  some  rare 
old  embroideries  exhibited  there  by  the 
Persian.  And  for  embroideries  Aunt 
Harmon  would  almost  have  bartered  her 
great-grandfather's  white-pillared  man 
sion  on  the  square.  She  had  persuaded 
Miss  Aspinwall  to  go  with  her,  and  for 
two  hours  the  old  lady  had  secretly 
gloated  over  and  outwardly  scorned  the 
treasures  she  had  captured  from  the 
envious  hands  of  her  fellow  connoisseurs. 
It  was  while  she  was  good-naturedly 
guying  her  relative  at  the  huge  pile  she 
was  accumulating,  that  Miss  Aspinwall 
suddenly  thought  of  Helen  Lorraine.  She 
hadn't  seen  her  since  the  night  at  the 
opera  when  she  left  so  early.  Nor  Laura, 
either,  she  reflected,  with  some  surprise. 
She  considered  further  that  it  was  about 
time  she  told  Helen  of  the  important 
agreement  between  herself  and  Tom.  She 
was  feeling  inordinately  proud  of  that 
young  man  just  now.  It  was  really 
necessary  to  confide  in  some  one.  Other 
wise,  from  the  lack  of  being  able  to  thin 
217 


iH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     ^ 

it  out  judiciously,  she  would  be  giving 
him  altogether  too  thick  a  spreading  of 
her  satisfaction. 

"Well,  Harriet  Aspinwall,"  drawled 
the  well-known  voice  at  this  moment  be 
hind  her,  "  haven't  you  enough  of  such 
stuff  without  filling  that  heathen's  pockets 
with  any  more  good  American  money  ?  " 

"  It's  not  I,"  said  Harriet,  shaking 
hands,  elaborately,  "  it's  Aunt  Harmon 
and  her  everlasting  embroideries.  I'm 
sure  I  don't  know  what  she'll  do  in 
heaven  without  'em.  It  isn't  having  them 
so  much,  or  leaving  them  behind,  but 
she'll  be  miserable  if  she  ever  gets  where 
she  can't  buy  more."  Miss  Aspinwall  was 
talking  to  gain  time.  The  first  sight  of 
her  friend  had  very  nearly  betrayed  her 
into  an  exclamation.  For  while  most 
people  might  have  considered  Mrs.  Lor 
raine  merely  a  trifle  pale  and  heavy-  eyed, 
what  Miss  Aspinwall  saw  she  would  not 
stop  to  think  about. 

"  I  was  just  going  to  telephone  you  to 
take  luncheon  with  me,"  she  went  on, 
carelessly.  "  Now  that  you  are  here,  let's 
218 


iH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

get  away  from  this  rabble  if  we  can.     I 
want  to  talk." 

"  It's  a  beautiful  place  for  conversa 
tion,"  said  Mrs.  Lorraine,  languidly. 

"  Nowhere  better.  It's  safer  to  shout 
secrets  in  a  crowd  than  to  whisper  them 
in  a  windowless,  doorless,  and  empty 
cellar.  But  there  was  no  one  in  the 
Turkish  room  a  few  minutes  ago.  I'll 
tell  Aunt  Harmon  to  look  for  us  there  if 
she  ever  drags  herself  away  from  these 
rags." 

Once  installed  in  a  semi-quiet  corner 
where  the  window  draperies  partly 
screened  them  from  observation,  Miss 
Aspinwall  wasted  no  time. 

"  Have  you  heard  the  news  about  Tom 
Dinsmore  ? "  she  asked,  with  extreme 
nonchalance. 

Mrs.  Lorraine  looked  up  in  relieved 
surprise.  She  had  dreaded  something 
different.  "  News  ?  No.  Have  you 
finally  driven  him  to  succumb  to  the 
assiduous  attentions  of  Flora  Eastlake?" 

"  He's    found    other   attractions   more 
alluring.     He's  gone  into  city  politics." 
219 


3H     COUNCILS    OF   CRCESUS      H£ 

"  And  I  suppose  you're  responsible. 
Your  hard-heartedness  would  have  driven 
some  men  to  drink  instead." 

"  You  are  complimentary,  but  I'm 
obliged  to  deny  the  insinuation.  I'd 
nothing  to  do  with  his  reformation. 
Judge  Emery  got  him  to  take  that  little 
Frenchman's  case,  and  that  was  the  be 
ginning  of  the  end.  Before  he  knew  it, 
he  was  fairly  wallowing  in  the  mud  where 
grow  our  most  excellent  officials.  And 
now  he's  booming  Judge  Emery  for  dis 
trict  attorney,  and  organising  anti-clubs, 
and  Heaven  knows  what.  As  that  elegant 
sheet,  the  Penny,  remarked,  '  He's  in  it 
with  both  patent  leathers,  and  refuses  to 
slip  out  and  leave  them  behind.'  '  She 
finished  with  an  excited  laugh  that  made 
Mrs.  Lorraine  look  at  her  with  suspicion. 

"  Well,"  remarked  the  young  widow, 
sternly,  "what  are  you  proposing  to  do? 
You  can  talk  Judge  Emery  all  you  like, 
but  you  certainly  know  he's  adopted  dirty 
politics  simply  for  you.  If  he  gets  a 
bullet  through  him  down  in  those  Tam- 

220 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

many  camps  I  hope  you'll  realise  your 
responsibility." 

Miss  Aspinwall  dropped  her  eyes  de 
murely.  "  You  are  as  bad  an  exaggerator 
as  he  is  himself.  I'm  not  responsible 
for  the  soul  or  body  of  any  man.  And  I 
never  will  be.  Not  even  after  we've  gone 
through  that  kindergarten  ceremony  that's 
supposed  to  act  like  a  mutual  apron- 
string  for  all  the  rest  of  our  mortal  lives." 

"No!  Really?  Harriet!"  In  spite 
of  her  half  preparation,  Mrs.  Lorraine 
was  too  astonished  for  connected  speech. 

"  Yes !  Really !  Helen !  "  mimicked  the 
owner  of  the  news.  "  But  you  needn't 
sow  it  broadcast  yet.  It  —  it's  rather  an 
unusual  experience  for  me.  I'm  not  go 
ing  to  throw  it  to  Mother  Grundy  and 
her  clacking  chickens  till  I'm  morally 
sure  I  can  stand  being  picked  to  my  very 
skin  without  so  much  as  turning  a  feather. 
But  you  —  '  the  mocking  raillery  sud 
denly  slipped  out  of  hearing  — "  you 
might  as  well  wish  me  good  luck  now, 
you  know.  I  —  I  —  can't  somehow  get 
used  to  being  happy." 

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^H     COUNCILS    OF    CROESUS      HS- 

Helen's  hand  reached  out  for  her 
friend's.  "  I  wish  you  all  the  world.  I'm 
so  glad,  Harriet.  It  —  it's  a  great  com 
fort  to  know  that  happiness  isn't  always 
only  for  children."  She  wyas  looking  far 
past  Miss  Aspinwall  with  an  expression 
that  made  the  artist's  eyes  suddenly  swim. 

"  We  were  neither  of  us  very  happy 
when  we  were  hardly  out  of  our  child 
hood,"  she  answered  low. 

Mrs.  Lorraine  got  up  quickly,  and  went 
over  to  the  window.  "  Thank  Heaven, 
one  of  us  has  something  to  take  the  taste 
of  those  days  away.  And  I  — "  there 
was  a  long  pause  before  she  went  on 
quietly  —  "I  am  to  have  a  vicarious 
chance  to  forget,  too  —  in  seeing  Laura 
happy.  That  isn't  out,  either,  yet,  but 
she  has  accepted  Jack  Wilton." 

"  Jack  Wilton !  Laura !  "  It  was  Har 
riet's  turn  to  be  astonished.  At  first  she 
could  only  stare  at  Helen,  standing  still 
and  rigid  at  the  window.  Then,  gradu 
ally,  her  vague  memories  and  half  sur 
mises  of  the  early  winter  came  back  to 

222 


her.  "And  you  —  agree?  I  thought  — 
where's  Sir  Robert?" 

"  Coming  to  town  again  to-morrow. 
And  I've  got  to  make  explanations.  It 
isn't  a  pleasant  prospect."  Still  gazing 
steadily  out  of  the  window. 

Miss  Aspinwall  went  up  to  her,  and 
gently  touched  her  arm.  "  Helen,"  she 
said,  very  softly.  But  Helen  did  not  turn. 
With  a  curious  dread  Miss  Aspinwall 
glanced  at  the  door  as  if  she  contemplated 
flight.  "Helen,  dear." 

The  tall,  regal  figure  turned  at  last, 
swiftly.  "  Well  ?  "  She  looked  defiantly 
at  the  questioning  face.  "  You  know 
what  I  had  planned.  I  believe  you  say 
I  never  get  defeated.  Or  if  I  do,  that 
no  one  ever  knows  it.  I  must  be  getting 
old,  I  think.  For,  I  do  not  care  —  1 
don't  care  at  all,  Harriet,  that  you  know 
how  badly  I  have  been  vanquished." 
There  was  no  defiance  now.  Only  the 
same  pleading  agony  that  for  a  minute 
Jack  had  seen. 

"  You  don't  need  to  care."  It  was  all 
that  Harriet  could  answer.  With  a  quick 
223 


$H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      ^ 

gesture,  she  took  Helen's  two  hands  and 
held  them  close  within  her  own.  But  to 
herself  she  was  saying,  "  She  mustn't 
talk.  She  will  never  forgive  herself 
afterwards." 

"It  is  awfully  hard."  She  got  the 
words  out  desperately.  "  And  I  don't 
wonder  you're  a  wrreck  and  hate  to  see 
Sir  Robert.  But  —  he  is  a  little  old, 
you  know,  for  Laura.  The  boy  is  —  a 
better  age  for  her.  And  —  how  she  must 
adore  you!"  She  finished  with  a  rush 
while  her  eyes  and  hands  dumbly  begged 
pardon  for  her  lips. 

Slowly,  as  she  spoke,  a  dull  red  flame 
swept  over  Helen's  gray  face.  Then  she 
gently  loosed  her  hands  and  turned  to 
the  window.  "  Yes,"  she  said,  "  he  is 
a  much  better  age  for  Laura.  And  she 
does  "  —  there  was  a  little  catch  in  her 
voice  —  "  she  does  adore  her  mother." 

"Oh,  here  you  are!"  called  Aunt 
Harmon,  in  triumph.  "  I'm  ready  to  go, 
Harriet,  whenever  you  are.  He  didn't 
have  much,  that  man,  but  I've  got  a  few 
pieces.  I  met  Laura  and  young  Mr.  Wil- 
224 


^     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

ton  this  morning,"  she  said,  genially,  to 
Mrs.  Lorraine.  "  I've  quite  often  met 
them  this  winter,  and  he's  always  very 
polite.  Really,  if  I  were  you,  Helen,  I'd 
encourage  him.  Madame  d'Honneur 
was  saying  only  the  other  day  that  he 
has  the  good  manners  of  fifty  years  ago. 
And  as  she  says,  there  aren't  many  of 
that  kind  left  now." 


225 


COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

JIR  ROBERT  MARTIN 
MAS  was  waiting  in  her 
drawing-room  for  Mrs. 
Lorraine.  She  had,  of 
course,  at  once  written  him  of  Laura's 
engagement.  The  note  implied  that  there 
was  no  further  object  for  his  contemplated 
call.  Nevertheless,  the  baronet  had 
called,  several  times,  without  finding  Mrs. 
Lorraine  at  home.  Finally  he  wrote, 
begging  her  to  set  an  hour  to  see  him. 
It  was  not,  as  she  told  Miss  Aspinwall, 
an  occasion  to  be  awaited  with  joy.  She 
had  devoutly  hoped  that  something  would 
remove  the  young  man  to  the  other  hemi 
sphere  before  it  happened.  She  confessed 
to  herself,  however,  as  she  shook  hands 
cordially,  that  she  would  be  sorry  never 
to  have  a  chance  to  see  him  again.  There 
was  something  so  big  and  strong  and 
wholesome  about  him;  it  did  one  good 
just  to  shake  hands  and  feel  his  firm 
226 


$H     COUNCILS    OF   CRCESUS     H£ 

grip.  He  was  not  one  to  deal  in  subtle 
ties,  and  she  was  thankful  that  for  once 
she  could  be  sure  of  simple  candour  un 
hampered  by  any  underlying  meanings. 

"  You  were  very  kind  to  write  me  so 
promptly  of  Miss  Lorraine's  engage 
ment/'  he  started  in,  almost  immediately. 
"  It  did  spoil  a  certain  plan  of  mine,  but 
I've  been  completely  at  sea  to  guess  how 
you  knew  it." 

"  Why,"  Mrs.  Lorraine  was  slightly 
disconcerted,  "  why,  you  told  me  your 
self.  Or,  at  least,"  she  flushed  ever  so 
slightly,  "  gave  me  to  understand  that 
the  disposal  of  Laura's  future  meant 
much  to  you." 

"  Of  course,  after  what  you  told  me. 
But  I  can't  see  how  you  guessed  about 
my  brother." 

"  About  your  brother !  "  Her  amaze 
ment  left  no  room  for  any  other  feeling. 
Here  were  subtleties  enough,  after  all. 
"  What  has  your  brother  to  do  with  it  ?  " 

"  Then  you  didn't  know !  But  I  can't 
understand  —  "  the  baronet  was  equally 
perplexed.  "  I  say,  Mrs.  Lorraine,  the 
227 


3H     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      HS- 

best  way  is  to  straighten  this  out  from  the 
beginning.  Do  you  remember  telling  me 
that  your  chief  object  in  life  was  to  have 
your  daughter  happily  married?  So 
much  so  that  nothing  else  counted  ?  That 
you  would  think  of  no  future,  nothing, 
for  yourself,  till  that  was  accomplished?  " 

She  nodded,  with  increased  colour. 

"  Well,  you  know,  I  thought  of  my 
brother  Clarence.  You've  never  seen  him, 
I  think.  But  it  happened  that  he  met 
Miss  Lorraine  in  London  just  before  you 
sailed.  And  the  boy  quite  raved  about 
her,  boy  style,  you  know.  But  he's  a  fine 
fellow,  and  —  er  —  has  —  is  better  off 
than  I  am.  When  you  spoke  as  you  did, 
I  thought  of  him  at  once.  He  answered 
by  return  mail  that  Miss  Lorraine  was 
quite  the  most  charming  girl  he'd  met, 
and  he  wasn't  at  all  in  love  with  anybody 
else,  and  if  it  would  help  me  out  —  why, 
he'd  come  over  and  try  for  her  with 
pleasure.  As  soon  as  I  heard  from  him  I 
wrote  you."  He  stopped,  somewhat  out 
of  breath,  and  looked  at  his  hostess 
inquiringly. 

228 


She  had  listened  with  increasing  ner 
vousness,  but  ever  growing  amusement. 
The  calmness  with  which  he  had  planned 
to  settle  her  difficulties  and  Laura's  future 
tickled  her  immensely.  At  the  same  time 
she  began  to  fear  what  might  be  his  reason 
for  it  all. 

"  You  were  more  than  kind,"  she  said, 
rather  lamely.  "  If  Laura  had  only  waited 
for  our  plans  —  : 

"  She  couldn't,  I'm  sure,  from  what 
I've  heard  and  seen  of  Mr.  Wilton,  have 
chosen  a  finer  fellow,"  put  in  the  baronet, 
cordially.  "  And,  after  all,  it  doesn't 
really  matter  to  us."  His  delicate  empha 
sis  upon  the  pronoun  sent  a  chill  over  his 
listener.  "  You  are  now  free  to  do  as 
you  like."  He  stood  up,  his  face  rather 
red  and  embarrassed,  but  shining  with 
a  very  real  earnestness.  Mrs.  Lorraine 
lifted  her  hand  deprecatingly,  but  he  paid 
no  attention.  "  I  don't  know  how  to  say 
it  to  make  you  best  understand  what  it 
means  to  me.  I  have  never  said  it  to 
a  woman  before.  But  I  love  and  admire 

229 


SH     COUNCILS    OF    CROESUS     H£ 

you  beyond  all  women,  and  I  beg  you  to 
be  my  wife." 

Before  he  had  finished,  her  head  had 
dropped  into  her  hands. 

Sir  Robert  looked  at  her,  hesitatingly, 
a  moment,  and  then  he  bent  low  over  her, 
"Will  you,  — Helen?" 

Slowly  she  lifted  her  face  to  his,  and 
in  its  exceeding  sorrow  he  read  her 
answer. 

He  drew  himself  up  sharply  while  the 
embarrassed  red  and  the  eagerness  fled 
from  his  countenance.  Such  silent  ac 
ceptance  of  his  fate  went  to  her  heart 
more  keenly  than  many  words.  Impul 
sively  she  sprang  to  her  feet. 

"  See !  "  she  cried,  passionately.  "  I 
could  find  it  in  my  heart  to  mourn  more 
than  you  can.  At  this  moment,  it  seems 
to  me  beyond  all  things  hard  that  I  cannot 
love  you.  You  whom  I  respect,  like,  ad 
mire  almost  more  than  any  man  I  ever 
met."  Her  voice  broke  piteously,  and  the 
man  turned  with  quick  lighted  fire. 

"  If  you  like  me  as  well  as  that,  what 
else  matters?  I'll  be  content  and  grate- 
230 


^H      COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS     HS- 

ful.  And  you  shall  never  be  sorry  you 
were  my  wife."  He  raised  her  hand  to 
his  lips  with  a  world  of  homage  in  his 
eyes. 

"  Oh,  but  you  don't  understand !  I 
should  be  sorry  all  my  life.  For  —  for,- 
Sir  Robert,  respect  and  admiration  and 
liking  are  not  all  I  could  give  a  man." 
Her  voice  had  sunk  to  a  whisper,  and 
she  stood  before  him  with  drooped  head 
and  hanging,  helpless  hands. 

He  drew  in  his  breath  painfully.  "  You 
—  you  love  some  one  else?" 

"  I  love  some  one  —  as  you  love  me  — 
and  as  hopelessly." 

For  a  few  moments  there  was  not  a 
sound.  Then  the  man,  out  of  his  own 
great  love,  longed  most  of  all  to  find 
words  to  comfort  her. 

"  If  —  if,"  he  leaned  toward  her,  a  rare 
light  shining  through  the  pallor  on  his 
face,  "  if  I  might  help  you !  You  have 
done  so  much  for  me !  I  never  knew  the 
heights  till  you  showed  me  them.  All 
my  life  I  shall  be  glad  that  I  have  learned 
to  know  what  love  can  be." 
231 


•SH     COUNCILS    OF    CRCESUS      H£ 

Her  eyes  were  full  as  she  held  out  both 
hands.  "  It  is  the  right  word,"  she 
whispered,  "  one  can  be  glad  if  one  has 
even  touched  the  heights." 


THE    END. 


232 


Date  Due 


PRINTED    IN    U.S. 


CAT.    NO.   24    161 


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